RWBY: Cat's Out of the Bag
by Allen Ramsey II
Summary: Blake Belladonna is used to running from her problems and past. That's what her enrollment into Beacon Academy was to be for her: a new beginning, and a chance to keep the past entirely behind her, all with the aid of a little, black, bow. Unfortunately, one cannot outrun their past forever, and Ozpin made sure to add one requirement for Blake's admission to Beacon... (Monochrome)
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, nor do I profit financially from this work of fanfiction.**_

 **WARNINGS: Rated M for language, violence, mature themes, sexual themes, and shoujo-ai/yuri. NOTE: unlikely to contain actual smut/lemons!  
**

 _AN: If anyone is interested, I am looking into acquiring Beta-readers since my usual ones aren't familiar with RWBY. All beta-readers will be credited for each chapter they assist with, along with what role they had in the beta-reading process. (e.g. JohnDoe123 - Proofreading/Ideas/Assistant)_

 _Anyway, hope you all enjoy, and reviews are greatly appreciated! (Seriously, I love getting reviews!)_

 _Credits (aka. Betareaders/Proofreaders/Editors/etc): N/A_

* * *

 _ **RWBY: Cat's Out of the Bag**_

 _ **Prologue**_

* * *

"So, Miss Belladonna," the grey-haired Headmaster of Beacon Academy began once a sip of coffee passed through his lips. "Are you aware of why we are meeting like this?"

The amber-eyed girl's gaze didn't falter, though she shifted slightly in her chair at the question. The room was plain, uncolored and small, the sort of room that might make someone feel claustrophobic. Blake didn't have such issues with small spaces, but even she had to admit that this room was almost stifling to her. It certainly wasn't the heat; it was shockingly chilly in this small room.

"I applied to Beacon Academy, so you're interviewing me," she offered, confident in her answer as her hands remained clasped in her lap.

"Indeed. It's not often I perform an interview of a prospective student, but certain 'special cases' require additional inquiry that my transcripts simply do not contain," Ozpin replied, that quiet little smile firmly entrenched upon his lips. "Can you tell me what it is that makes you special, Miss Belladonna?"

Blake held her tongue; her first answer would be that which was currently covered by a little, black bow, but there was no way she was admitting that if she didn't have to. She thought for a moment though, and had the more likely answer:

"...I'm self-taught," she affirmed with distinction. "I've never been to a combat school, or any school for that matter, meaning all I have is a list of skills and feats accomplished over the course of my self-learning."

That smile got a little wider on the bespectacled man's face.

"Indeed again, Miss Belladonna. While it is not unheard of for students to come from backgrounds that prevented a traditional, 'formal' education in the arts of hunting Grimm - and indeed many of the best Hunters were from difficult, rural areas full of practical experience in the art - the interesting thing about your transcript is that it seems you sent it to the wrong type of school…"

Blake's eyes narrowed, frowning in confusion.

"Sir?"

"You see Miss Belladonna, I've been the Headmaster longer than you've been alive, and I've seen all manner of Hunters, and even more combat and skill profiles," Ozpin paused but for a sip of coffee before continuing calmly. "Your transcript does not read like that of someone who has trained to hunt Grimm, though I admire your attempts to spin it to your favor…"

' _Oh no…'_

"So answer me honestly, Miss Belladonna: who was it that taught you to be a hunter of men?"

The calm, cool presentation had Blake frozen in her seat despite being in a near panic. This wasn't how this was supposed to go; she was supposed to be starting something new! She wasn't supposed to be one of _them_ anymore! She swallowed, hard, then pushed out what she could:

"I'm… I'm not a murderer."

"I did not say you were. Though you certainly have the skill-set of someone who would be quite capable at it, wouldn't you agree?" Ozpin's smile faded after a moment as he leaned back, hands held together in front of him with his cane now propped against the table. "Miss Belladonna, does the name 'Adam Taurus' ring any bells?"

Blake's chair clattered against the floor as she shot to her feet, reaching for Gambol Shroud at her back and grasping at air. Right; she'd forgotten she was not allowed her weapon during this meeting, and found herself cursing and turning quickly towards the door.

"It's locked," Ozpin said, before her hand even touched the handle, making her hesitate and freeze. "From the outside. An associate of mine will be letting us out when I ask them to do so. Simply a precaution, Miss Belladonna, for reasons that you very likely can understand. Now please have a seat; I only wish to continue speaking with you."

Blake was stuck; she couldn't fight the seasoned, armed Huntsman - particularly as she was unarmed herself - and she couldn't escape. The Headmaster also seemed to know more about her than she ever wished for him to; he had to have some sort of connections she wasn't aware of, because nowhere did she volunteer any of this information herself! Every part of her screamed for the Faunus to flee…

But the best she could do was to simply play along until she had a better option. She was cornered, metaphorically and almost literally.

"What's there to speak about? You obviously know what I am," she didn't so much as move an inch when she pushed the words out through a forced aura of calm. "Will I at least be allowed to read once I'm put in a cell?"

"I was hoping you'd have the opportunity to do so in your dorm room, or the library at Beacon," Ozpin countered calmly. "Aside from select members of Beacon's faculty, nobody knows anything beyond what has been presented to us by yourself. Police have not been informed either, at least not as of yet."

Blake could see where this was going; her fist clenched until her knuckles were stark white, and it was only then that she turned around and shot the Headmaster a glare.

"I am _not_ going to be your _pet_!" she spat, vitriol dripping from every bitter word. "I refuse to let you keep me on a _leash_!"

To her surprise, Ozpin actually smiled more sincerely, before gingerly reaching for his coffee mug.

"I also did not say I intended to hold this information over your head either, Miss Belladonna," he rebutted quietly, sipping at his coffee once more. "I simply wish to talk, and only expect you to be honest with me, if you'd please."

She hesitated a moment, trying to read this man's intentions. He came across as frighteningly sincere, 'frighteningly' because she was by no means expecting such from a human of such power, age, and prestige. The cat began to relax, her nails pulling back from her palm, and though she was still cautious she moved to right her knocked-over seat. She then had a seat, but her posture was far from relaxed, unlike the older man whom could not appear more relaxed without having gone to sleep.

"Thank you, Miss Belladonna," Ozpin said, shifting slightly. "Now then, I believe I'd asked you some questions…"

"...the White Fang…" she whispered, quiet enough she wasn't sure the human would be able to hear her. "...and yes… I know- no, _knew_ him…"

"Past tense? Interesting… it was my understanding that the two of you were-"

"Stop," she hadn't yelled, but the urgency - no, _fear_ \- in her words was louder to the Headmaster than if she had. "...we were a mistake. My mistake. I-"

Her voice caught in her throat, her eyes beginning to water. She'd finally decided to leave, but why did it still hurt so much? This wasn't what was supposed to happen...

"This is going to be rather hard for you, isn't it?" Ozpin's only response was a nod, leading him to continue. "I'm sorry, but this must be addressed… allow me to make this quick then: between your transcript and what information I've gathered, it's my understanding you have no known biological family, extended, distant, or otherwise. You grew up in the White Fang; they raised you, fed you, housed you, educated you, and trained you to be what you are today. When Adam took over several years ago, he took you as his Mate, which formally dragged you into the inner workings of the White Fang. Naturally this would be why a fair amount of intelligence on the White Fang includes information about you…"

Blake's eyes stung as tears streamed down her face. That was who she was wasn't it? An orphan adopted into a political-turned-terrorist organization, trained to steal like thief and kill like an assassin, then Mated to a man she thought she knew when she was far too young, realizing far too late the monster that he was and the beasts her 'family' had become. She was visibly shaking at this point, barely able to hold herself together as the things she wished to hide were so brazenly laid out before her. The only thing hidden now were her ears, but it was hard to lie to herself and say that Ozpin didn't know about that too.

"All of that pales in comparison to the singular fact that you're sitting here in front of me today," Ozpin finished, and Blake could hear him shift his position forward. "Unfortunately my information ends some time before you put in your application, and this transcript doesn't appear to be a cover, even if it is vague and lists you as 'Human' instead of Faunus…

"So my most important question for you, Miss Belladonna, is why do you want to come to Beacon Academy, honestly?"

Her eyes still stung, her voice was dying in her throat even as she tried to make something come out. All she had to do was give a reason, and it wasn't like she was lacking in them; repentance, to do some good in the world, to use as a stepping stone for fixing Human-Faunus relations…

"I don't want to run anymore…" was what eventually left her lips, so very quiet and choked as her head was held low. "I-I just… want to be normal… I-"

"Want to feel safe," she finally glanced up as Ozpin cut in, his tone very much the same, but his eyes exuded an inviting warmth toward her. "I can assure you that Beacon is the safest place in all of Vale, perhaps even safer than Atlas with it's mechanized military. The faculty, it's students, and most assuredly your team will be around you constantly. I'll even make arrangements for you to have a space on campus prior to orientation."

Brow furrowed, it took a moment for Blake to realize the implications of his words, but when she did, it begged the question:

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"You know the truth… so why? Why are you…" she trailed off, not sure whether she was more surprised he was taking such a risk, or… she really wasn't sure what else, but it was there.

"Hmm… our pasts may shape whom we've become, but it's our actions we take in the present and future that matter most," Ozpin proclaimed with a grin, before again helping himself to his coffee. "I'm sufficiently convinced that you've distanced yourself from the White Fang, and my information suggests that aside from a few… shall we say 'large-scale re-appropriations of property and product' - which cannot be connected solely to you, nor your specific role pointed out explicitly - your past actions do not reflect malevolence and criminality.

"What I see is a young woman with the moral strength of the White Fang's 'old guard,' someone who sought idealism, equality, and peace, but was swept up out of youth, naivety, and the charisma of a young man fueled by his own rage and bloodlust…" Ozpin continued, before moving to stand, taking his cane in hand, coffee in his other. "And as you are here, not there, it would seem that your moral - no, your strength of _character_ is what guides you now. What better quality should I search for in a Huntress than that?"

Blake was speechless; it was truly unbelievable that this _human_ man whom knew almost everything about her would stand there and speak so highly of her. It had been so long since she had heard such sincere praise, so long since she had someone speak of _who_ she was and not _what_ she was. Yet it somehow made her feel all the more broken as she started sobbing again, this time out of relief it would seem. Just words, the tiniest bit of compliment and kindness, and she couldn't seem to handle it. She'd left _him_ behind, but he'd taken plenty of her with him, and wormed his way too deep into her memories to pry out so easily…

She wasn't sure how long she was crying, but Blake was never asked to stop, nor did Ozpin make to leave her be. Had she been more aware, she likely would have noticed the empathy and understanding in his eyes. Ozpin had seen more than his fair share of young men and women so wounded by others, and how he wished they were not so wounded, or at the very least, that each he saw would be the last one.

As she calmed down, attempting to recompose herself and clear her eyes:

"Miss Belladonna, while this interview I fear may leave a poor taste in your mouth in your feelings about me," Ozpin began again, a hint of up-curve to the left corner of his mouth as she looked up at him. "Might I suggest- actually, let me _ask_ you this: you said you wish to stop running?"

A pause, a thought, and then a nod was what Ozpin received in response.

"You wish to be normal?"

Another series of fervent nods, and his smile came out in full then.

"Well then, allow me to welcome you into Beacon Academy… with but one stipulation…"

* * *

After two weeks of waiting, today was the day she'd been praying for for: the day Blake Belladonna 'arrived' at Beacon Academy to begin her training as a Huntress. Nevermind that she'd been there for two weeks, largely sticking to her dorm room or the library when she wasn't searching for new reading spots and enjoying the quiet she'd been missing out on for many years of her life; today was the _official_ start of the first semester of the first year, with tomorrow being the day she'd be assigned to a team. She wasn't comfortable about that part yet, or that she was going to have to be around a number of people again… but what was she to do?

She'd been told to make sure she appeared to be arriving with the rest of the students, which is why she was at the docks walking towards the campus, book in hand and face buried firmly into said book. To be fair the book was quite interesting, just not _that_ interesting that she'd be so distractedly invested in it as she seemed. However, one thing she'd learned is that if you didn't want to be noticed, then the best thing to do was to stay quiet, don't make eye contact, blend in, and most of all don't get involved in-

The quiet explosion - which Blake realized was quite the contradiction sometime later - certainly got her attention, but the glass vial rolling towards her and bumping against her foot was what actually drew her attention away from the book. Picking up the vial, she turned it over to see an famously infamous logo scrawled across the glass to signify it as none other than top-quality Schnee Dust Company mined-and-refined Dust. By the looks of it it wasn't the cheap stuff either, so who was it that brought this?

"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

That was probably the person right there. Glancing over, several things became very clear at once: first was that the dust vial was apparently the property of the person at the center of the explosion, second was that apparently someone who was _not_ the owner had been the one to cause the explosion, and the last thing was that apparently the owner was someone about whom Blake was very, _very_ familiar…

The sight of the white-haired woman gave her pause, as did the sound of her screeching tirade directed at the shorter girl in black and read. Blake didn't want to be around her for a number of reasons, all of them perfectly reasonable and rational considering the long and ultimately poor relationship she'd had with the girl's family for the entirety of her memorable existence. A small part of her however wanted to step in and get her to knock off all the yelling; it was clearly an accident as to what had occurred moments prior, so why was she pitching such a fit over it? Maybe she could just walk away and just not get involved-

"Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!"

And there went that decision! Best thing to do was to diffuse the situation before it continued to escalate, lest either one of them get hurt or worse on the first day as new students.

"It's heiress, actually," she said as she approached carefully, watching the two shorter girls glance over to her…

...and then up at the top of her head, specifically at the two small, black, furry cat ears that gently twitched with the breeze that was blowing.

Blake silently cursed herself; so much for not getting involved!

* * *

 _ **End Prologue**_

* * *

 _AN: And there it is, the seed for this story's plot! I hope everyone liked my little intro (and believe me for me this is a shorter chapter; I historically have shot for 5k words per chapter), and I greatly appreciate any of you who wish to give me a review! I like talking with people and I love feedback, but anyway until next time!_

 _ **A.W.R. II**_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, nor do I profit financially from this work of fanfiction.**_

 **WARNINGS: Rated M for language, violence, mature themes, sexual themes, and shoujo-ai/yuri.**

 _AN: So I started the day after I posted the prologue, so I haven't gotten much feedback except for interest and curiosity. That said, don't be surprised if a lot of this chapter is not terribly far off from canon in terms of what takes place; even with Blake being 'out' as a Faunus, the changes will be minimal at first, but the further we go in the story the further from the canon progression things will go. Will that change the end of Season 3? Who knows? But much like a snowball it starts out small and then grows as it rolls… so let's keep this show rolling and I hope y'all enjoy the subtleties!_

 _Also, still looking for betareaders/editors/etc..._

 _Credits (aka. Betareaders/Proofreaders/Editors/etc): N/A_

* * *

 _ **RWBY: Cat's Out of the Bag**_

 _ **Chapter 1**_

* * *

"It's heiress, actually," Blake said as she approached carefully, watching the two shorter girls glance over to her, first to her eyes, then to her ears. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

The Heiress' smile was clearly forced and uncomfortable, and if Blake could afford to without injecting further issue she'd have rolled her eyes. Leave it to the Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company to be _uncomfortable_ around someone her family had had a hand in repressing and suppressing.

"Yes, well, thank you very much for returning my dust back to me," Weiss said to her, holding out her hand as Blake moved to return it, to which Blake noted she did not attempt to yank it away hurriedly, maintaining her composure. "If you'll excuse me, I really don't want to be late."

The Faunus watched as the white-haired girl guided her servants and luggage away, impressively to her in that she was not expediting the process uncomfortably. Seems she was about as well-composed as the White Fang profiles suggested, but it was quite a wonder she hadn't known she was going to be here. Not that it mattered anymore; Blake was starting something new, and was already starting down a poor path by getting involved in this mess with the Schnee. Blake quickly turned herself around and made her own way off, figuring she had time to drop by one of her reading spots before the orientation meeting. The girl with the red highlights' thanks and welcome didn't escape her sensitive ears, and as much as the Faunus was supposed to be turning over a new leaf she _really_ wanted her blank slate to not start with any connection to the Schnee family.

Even if that connection was as simple as accidentally blowing the Heiress up a little, which was the tiniest bit cathartic for the amber-eyed girl.

* * *

Orientation had been… Blake would have to settle for 'interesting.' Interesting did not mean good however; her interactions with Ozpin were relatively rare and brief, but even she could see that he had seemed distracted earlier that day. That and his speech about wasted talent and knowledge… it was a drastic change from what she was used to with him. Perhaps something had happened… she prayed it wasn't the White Fang after her, for they were not fans of deserters. Especially _him_.

Settling against the wall of the dining hall - she had yet to understand why Ozpin had _insisted_ that she make an appearance of sleeping in the same room as the rest of the first years when by all accounts she already _had a dorm room_ \- Blake opened her book to where she'd dogeared it last. She initially went to bring her knees up, but then remembered she was wearing her yukata and no pants. Why did she have to find the dress so comfortable to sleep in?

Now not risking flashing her panties with her legs off to one side, Blake was set to finally begin enjoying her book and 'decompressing' from the day. The whole day had been trying for her; she'd had to be around easily a hundred people without the bow she'd worn for years on, including one of the Schnee family whom she had to confront briefly. It had been loud, stressful, and busy getting situated and familiarized with a place she already had become familiar with, and for the introverted kitten this book of hers was a godsend.

"Hel-looooo! I believe you two may know each other?"

' _Oh gods why have you forsaken me?'_ Blake couldn't help but think to herself as her ears twitched in the direction of the sing-songy voice and…

...wait…

"Aren't you... that girl that exploded?"

"Uh, yeah! My name's Ruby! But you can just call me Crater…" Blake watches the girl trail off and look away nervously. "Actually, you can just call me Ruby."

"Okay…" Blake responded, glancing down into her book once more before the girls began to whisper to each other. "...you know I can hear you, right?"

"Huh?" the blonde was the first to respond, and seemed to notice the set of cat ears twitching on her head that moment. "Oh, right, uh… sooo, what's your name?"

"...Blake."

"Well, Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister!" the blonde - now identifiable as Yang - continued despite Blake's wishes. "I like your pajamas!"

"Thanks…" Blake hoped this girl would get she wasn't interested in chatting by her tone, but apparently that wasn't going to happen.

"They're really cute!"

"I gathered…"

The girl with red highlights - Ruby, that is - seemed to chuckle nervously. Blake had a moment of quiet commiseration with the younger of the two sisters; this seemed to be as uncomfortable for her as it was for Blake, though not _nearly_ as frustrating.

"But, they're not nearly as cute as your kitty ears!"

The loud sound of her book slamming shut was sure to draw several eyes to the black-haired Faunus, though her own eyes had shot up to the lilac orbs in the blond girl's head. Said blond stepped back slightly alongside her sister who let out some sort of a squeak like a mouse as she did. Blake must have looked more angry than she thought because both of them she realized were a little worried.

"Whoa there Blake; didn't mean to hit a nerve!" Yang quickly backtracked herself quickly. "Just trying to compliment you, make some small talk alright?"

"I…" Blake took a deep breath, sighing after before continuing. "I know you were. I'm just, really sensitive about people drawing attention to my ears okay?"

"Is it rude to comment on Faunus ears and tails and stuff?" Yang inquired. "Ruby and I weren't around a lot of Faunus back on Patch, so if it is I'm really sorry."

"It's not, not really," Blake began to explain. "But most people who draw attention to them don't usually don't have good intentions for doing so."

The blond gave an 'oh' and a slow nod, and Ruby made her way out from behind her sister's visage.

"They really are cute, in a totally 'good intention' sort of way," she offered with an honest smile, and honestly that did bring a smile to Blake's face. "Something tells me you wouldn't let me pet them if I ask though…"

Blake's eyebrow raised as if to say 'what do you think?' with the utmost sarcasm possible. She had to admit that this was the first time she'd had someone kinda-sorta ask to touch her ears a little, maybe. Perhaps her original notion to not associate with this girl in her new life was premature. Her sister seemed decent enough as well.

"Sooo whatcha reading?" Yang asked as she began to kneel down in front of her, clearly settling in for a chat that Blake was still on the fence about.

"It's a story about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body," Blake explained, opening it back up to where she was before. "I haven't gotten far in it yet."

"I love books," Ruby announces as she too has a seat, solidifying that Blake was not going to be having her reading time this eve. "Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters... they're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress!"

Blake couldn't help but laugh; she could tell this girl was younger than everyone here, meaning she was probably quite talented, but was she really motivated by _fairytales_?

"And why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?" the sarcasm on her lips was palpable.

"Well, I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books... someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves!"

Idealism… naivete… it spoke to Blake's cynicism that she felt they were one and the same.

"That's... very ambitious for a child," her entire expression, up to her ears, was a frown. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."

"Well, that's why we're here!" Ruby's smile was like a brilliant beacon in that moment. "To make it better!"

Blake had no words for that, and it wasn't just because the two sisters quickly got into a fight after some familial ribbing. To the Faunus girl, Ruby was clearly naive, idealistic, and quite probably too young and too sheltered to know how the world worked. But she was so… honest, so sincere; the small part of Blake that clung to hopes and dreams - a part she had thought until recently had been beaten out of her in more ways than one - wanted to help her make that vision a reality.

Further thoughts on that matter would have to wait until later; it seems a certain _Heiress_ had come over to screech and complain some more. With a roll of her eyes, Blake lifted up the old-fashioned candle she was using and blew it out…

* * *

Morning had been uneventful, quieter than Blake had feared it would be with everyone getting ready for the examination to come. This was the first part of this orientation process that Blake didn't find terribly redundant; her acceptance came with the understanding that she would have to prove herself before she could officially be admitted to Beacon, which was fair considering even with the additional information Ozpin had at his disposal her transcript was rather bare.

That, and apparently nobody got a free pass into Beacon by 'academics' alone, which is why everyone was lined up on launchers that looked as if they were going to propel them off the top of the cliffside and into the Emerald Forest below. Blake wasn't entirely sure as to why such a start to this test was necessary; wouldn't it have made more sense to drop them from a transport at random intervals if that was the end result anyway? Would seem more realistic than getting 'launched' into a mission like this…

Blake listened to the details of the orientation mission, which was straightforward enough: find an artifact at a designated location, return with said artifact. So, basically something Blake was rather familiar with, sounded good. Difficulty came with the next part: teams would be decided today, and your partner would be the first person you make eye-contact with…

...wait, had she _really_ heard that right? How could one's team be left up to chance like that? Even if she were going to try and work the system she only really knew three people here, one being the Heiress, one being a fifteen-year-old idealist, and the other being said idealist's somewhat loud sister. Didn't give her a whole slew of options really. If she had to pick of the three though, being 'loud' wasn't too bad of a downside for a teammate.

Her time to consider all of her options was limited however, for the initiation was already starting. First to go was the Heiress, and by the looks of things she had seconds before it was her turn. Blake braced herself, gripping one hand around the hilt of Gambol Shroud as she waited for just the right moment. A brief click, a shift beneath her feet, and with the aid of the contraption beneath her she was propelled high through the sky and off of the cliff. Blake held her form nice and aerodynamic as she flew towards the peak of the arc, but then she went limp, completely limp as she began to fall. Ignoring the pain due to rapid pressure change that was being inflicted on _both_ sets of ears, Blake twisted her body around like a cat - or perhaps a gymnast or acrobat for the more human-centric - and continued to fall feet-first.

As she approached the green canopy Blake could hear explosions, gunshots, and screaming, all noisy and more loudly combined with many of the other hunters. Blake had a different idea: utilizing her Shadow Clones she hopped in the opposite direction of where she was falling, first once, then twice, then thrice, and only then did she breach the canopy feet-first and begin passing through leaves and branches towards the forest floor. She landed feet-first on the ground with her hand still on her blade, ears flitting around as her eyes checked the surrounding area, miraculously finding no current threat. The sound of two loud shotgun-like devices followed by an explosion caught her ears, followed by a excitable cry and then more reports and jovial cries. Blake was pretty sure she recognized the voice of those cries.

' _Well, I guess she means to make it easy to for me to find her,'_ Blake mused as she gave her head a quick shake to help with the effect the pressure had had on her ears, then took off in the direction the reports had been heading in.

Up into the trees she went, bounding from tree to tree as quietly as she could, which considering her background made her practically a ghost as she travelled through the sub-canopy. Staying off the ground kept her safe from most Grimm, and allowed her to very literally get the drop on any potential threat. Was it slower? A tad, yes, but Blake's instincts told her that catching up to Yang wouldn't exactly require a full long-distance sprint.

In fact, it wasn't that long before she could hear the girl's voice once more, calling out for her younger sister by the sound of things. She also heard more than just the human's movements, multiple larger targets by the sound of it. Blake dropped to the ground and took off running at that moment, which was good as per the sound of it Yang had run into what had to be several sizable Grimm. Once she was there though she stopped, hesitated…

And she watched. She watched as the blonde showed that she was surprisingly quick on her feet, and against two large Ursa that was a good thing. Quick was just the beginning though, for it was clear that she was also quite strong, and had to be just as tough if not tougher for that close-quarters brawling style she displayed, not to mention those high-caliber shot-gauntlets on her wrists. She had to be Blake's polar opposite; loud, outgoing, bright, sunny, and faced things head-on with a confident - arguably cocky - wit…

She also seemed to have a literal 'hair-trigger' on her temper; apparently one of the Ursa had nicked a single, barely two-inch lock of her glorious golden mane, and it was as if something inside Yang snapped. The screaming, the brutal barrage of strikes with almost reckless abandon, and more shotgun blasts than was ever necessary brutalized the creature into oblivion and launched it through several trees before doing so. Oh yeah, the girl was _definitely_ strong; Blake had made a solid choice.

"What?! You want some, too?!"

Blake was beginning to notice a pattern of intervening once people started yelling here at this school. Stepping out from behind her light cover, Gambol Shroud was drawn quickly and shifted into it's ranged form and chucked without a report - to retain her surprise of course - and if there anatomy was anything like an actual mammal's then-

 _KTHUNK_

Down the beast went from a single blow, revealing the now confused and possibly surprised blonde brawler. Blake yanked her weapon back to her hand once the beast began to dissolve as the Grimm naturally did, sheathing the weapon before shooting the blonde a knowing smirk.

"I could've taken him," was the response she got, to which Blake rolled her eyes.

"Of course you could have."

"Soo… guess that makes us partners… right?"

"Yep. Partners."

"Cool! Glad it was you then!" Yang was grinning happily then, met with confusion on Blake's face.

"You're… glad it was me?"

"Yeah! Why wouldn't I be?"

Blake could think of many reasons, but chose to redirect the conversation instead.

"So, we're supposed to be heading north, right?" Blake inquired rhetorically as she oriented herself after a glance at the sun. "Should be this way. I can't imagine these ruins are that hard to find."

"Yeah, I mean, we're not even students yet," Yang agreed, collapsing her gauntlets into smaller bracelets. "You wanna lead the way, kitty cat?"

The glare from the black-haired Faunus spoke volumes as her ears flattened to her head.

"Still sensitive about the whole 'ears' thing yesterday, huh?" Yang mumbled, pouting a bit as she put her arms behind her head. "Look, I'm not gonna stand here and tell you I know what you've had to deal with up until now, but I really just think they make you look cute, okay? Cute ears, cute nickname!"

Much like her younger sister, Blake could see this girl was rather sincere with her words. It felt almost strange coming from a human, leaving her somewhat skeptical… but she was trying to build something new so…

"...I believe you," she said, bringing a smile to both their lips, at least temporarily. "Still not fond of the nickname though."

"Oh… well I'll do my best to come up with something else, kitten!"

"Really? Is 'kitten' supposed to be an improvement?"

"Hey, it's still cute right?"

"...you're not very good at this are you?"

"Ow! Kitty's got claws!"

"... _really_?"

"Wow you're _really_ good at that glare of yours!" Yang continued with a grin. "Positively _purrrr_ fect!"

"...I'm beginning to think I've made a terrible mistake becoming your partner," Blake declared with a sarcastic sigh, before turning and heading north.

"Ah, c'mon Blakey, you know you love it!" Yang audible smile was evident as she followed Blake without another word.

And though Blake wouldn't admit it out loud, a part of her in fact _did_ like the girl's humor. It was terrible and full of puns it would seem, but it _was_ light-hearted and benevolent, which is better than she would have ever expected. It actually made her think the girl didn't see her as an 'other' like so many had before…

* * *

Apparently once they'd found the ruins everything had gone downhill quickly; Ruby and someone named Jaune collided mid-air at high speeds, Weiss Schnee got carried in on a giant Nevermore while a rather adept redhead was chased in by an equally giant Deathstalker, and then Ruby was barely saved by the Schnee from said Deathstalker. The whole series of events felt almost surreal, especially once they had banded together and sorted out a plan, with the youngest one there apparently taking charge and _leading_ the charge. The fights that followed were chaotic at best, but as everyone - particularly Blake - could attest: they had all made it out alive, even if it had taken a crazy set of combination techniques to pull it off. It had also meant that Blake had to work directly with the Schnee, whom was apparently Ruby's partner - gods help her - and it was frightening how well they _had_ worked together, all of them…

"So… how do we get back up the cliff?" Yang asked Blake and the Schnee, quickly bringing them back to the matter at hand. "Think you can-"

"No," the Schnee cut her off abruptly, then shot her a look. "It works for her because she's remarkably fast. You're not _nearly_ as fast as she is."

"Eh, worth a shot," Yang shrugged nonchalantly. "So who likes long, arduous climbs up a giant cliff?"

"Nobody 'likes' arduous anything," Blake replied as she began to make her way to the cliffside. "We can climb up the track left by Ruby more easily, but we'll have to be careful of loose stone."

"Well, guess today's going to be a full-body workout too!" Yang proclaimed as she began to stretch her arms out exaggeratedly. "Wanna race, kitty cat?"

"No."

"Eh, suit yourself. Meet you up top, have fun climbing with the Ice Queen!" Blake couldn't formulate a response before the brawler had taken off at a full spring and launched herself at the cliffside.

To be fair, she actually launched herself quite a distance; it was actually rather impressive.

"'Ice Queen'?" Blake's ears - followed by her head - swiveled to face the Schnee Heiress, whom was responding rather expectedly to the name. "That brutish girl! So rude, and…"

Aaand now Blake found herself locking eyes with the Heiress, leading to a _very_ uncomfortable silence. Blake could never have imagined being in this position; she was not even five feet away from a prominent member of the Schnee family, effectively alone with her, _without her bow on_ , and was fully armed. This was like Adam's dream scenario for her, just one attack and the most terrible blow yet would be struck to the Schnee family…

...but that was Adam's dream, and she didn't even want to think about his name again, let alone go along with his misguided plans. Also, since Blake's new partner was the sister of the Schnee's new partner… building bridges and offering olive branches were probably good ideas.

"Think you can make it up the cliffs?" she asked the Schnee calmly, watching as she bristled slightly.

"Of course! We just slew a giant Nevermore; this is nothing!" Weiss insisted, pride oozing from every word. "We need to hurry and make sure our partners don't do anything stupid up there."

Well, that could have gone better; Blake realized it was going to be hard talking to the Schnee Heiress, for multiple reasons it would seem. Still, having seen Yang and Ruby both in action, she had to agree she had the right idea they should hurry up to make sure they stay in line.

A few hours later, Blake would find herself with more on her plate once Team RWBY was formed...

* * *

For the third time in recent memory, Blake found herself relocating to a new living space. Luckily she didn't own much; a single case of clothes and care products, ammunition and combat equipment, then her books… okay so she had a fair amount of books but besides that not a lot at all. At least this time Blake figured they wouldn't have to worry about moving anytime soon, meaning in a way this was her home now…

Home… what a way to kill her mood...

"Uuuhhh…" a moan caught Blake's attention - she was still getting used to the fact that the world was slightly less 'muffled' than she was used to it being with her bow on - and it would seem that their youngest team member and leader had claimed her bed on the far end. "So soft… so _tired_ …"

"Ugh, Ruby you're covered in _filth_! How can you lay on your bed like that?!" Weiss chided as she apparently claimed the bed next to her, sitting upon it.

"Beeeddd…" the brawler moaned exaggeratedly as she hobbled over to the bed at the other end of the room, plopping down much like her sister had. "Sooofffttt…"

"Oh, you too?!"

"Chiiillllll ouuuttt… Iccceee Queeeeeennn…"

Weiss' rebuttal to the blonde was again cut short by Blake's presence, having a seat upon her bed facing her…

The bed right next to her. The faunus again observed that Weiss bristled a bit uncomfortably at their mutual presence and proximity to one-another. Blake would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the Heiress' discomfort a little, back in the more primitive sections of her psyche. However, the more rational parts of her mind knew that - as they were expected to operate and live as a team for several years - making inroads was the much more reasonable thing to focus on.

"She's right you two; we need to clean up before we start resting," Blake announced, her ears twitching slightly as she looked back at her partner. "The room will smell like sweat and grime if we don't."

"Ugh… you sound like our _dad_! " Ruby groaned before rolling over and off her bed, with a thud and a squeak. "I call first… in a minute…"

"And that's our leader…" Blake's ears picked up the Heiress' grumbly whispers easily, resulting in the rolling of her amber eyes as Weiss sought to address another concern. "So when are we going to unpack, clean, organize-"

"Tomorrow!" was the declaration from the floor, and Blake noticed Weiss' eye twitching slightly.

Yang took this opportunity to leap from her bed, snatch one of her bags that had been crammed into one corner of her room, and dashed into their shared bathroom with two slams of the door. The second slam was from Ruby slamming headlong into the door, having been surprised and not quick enough to beat her sister to the bathroom. Blake visibly flinched from the loud noises as her ears flattened, and remained so as the Heiress shouted angrily at the two of them for being loud - the irony was nearly palpable. Yeah, time to nip this in the bud:

"Can we be a little quieter, _please_?" she practically growled, her tone certainly catching her teammates' attentions before she pointed at her ears, which she twitched purposefully for effect. "It's a small room, and you're _yelling_."

Ruby mumbled out a shy apology, but again Blake would witness the Heiress become uncomfortable at having to attend to her, a _faunus_. The previous catharsis at making her justifiably uncomfortable was beginning to be replaced by annoyance that she was so _clearly_ seen in a different light by the Schnee. This was after just meeting her too; she didn't even know that she'd been part of the White Fang whom had a _very_ storied history with her and her family. Thankfully Blake had every reason and more to not let her find out about it, and by and large she was _very_ good at keeping secrets.

"Very well," Weiss relented in a measured tone and volume, reaching up to undo her ponytail and remove that tiara in her hair. "My apologies for being inconsiderate."

Blake did roll her eyes this time at how mechanical her apology sounded, but didn't push the issue. Now was not the time to address the elephant in the room, so instead Blake sought out the familiar comfort of one of her books as Yang began what Ruby's whining would suggest would be a _very_ long shower. Blake would have to make sure she was up early to account for the blonde's grooming habits. Before she'd gotten the chance to crack her novel open, she payed a glance over to the Heiress… and was surprised.

"Is something wrong?"

Blake blinked, realizing that the question had come from Weiss, whom was looking directly at her as uncomfortable and rigid as ever with her hair now down. Apparently she'd been staring, which is _wonderful_ when it's directed at someone who already is uncomfortable around you.

"No. You just look more…" Blake quickly scrambled for a good description. "...relaxed with your hair down. More approachable."

"Oh…" Weiss didn't seem sure how to process this. "Thank you. Yours is very nice too."

"Thanks."

Aaand now Blake was sure that they both felt awkward now…

"Well this is _awkward..._ "

Okay, make that three now that Ruby had interrupted what had become a tense and awkward silence in the room. Why couldn't Ozpin had let Blake stay in the room she was in before? Or put her on team _without_ the Schnee Heiress on it?

With a tired sigh, Blake lay back and the rolled over to face away from the two in the room, curling up - literally - with her book. Yup, this was her life now, this was her home…

And right now she _really_ wished she was 'allowed' to hide behind her bow...

* * *

 _ **End Chapter 1**_

* * *

 _AN: So this took me FAR too long to finish, and it shouldn't be the same for the next chapter. Life gets busy, things happen, blah, blah, yada yada… it shouldn't take as long for chapter 2, which I plan to immediately start on. If you're wondering why two of the characters - you know which two - are a little/lot OOC, well… just trust me on this that they're not OOC given their current circumstances. I can go into more detail if you like; I always like talking about my psychological analyses of characters!_

 _Anyway, reviews are VERY much appreciated, but otherwise I hope everyone enjoyed!_

 _ **A.W.R II**_


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, nor do I profit financially from this work of fanfiction.

 **WARNINGS: Rated M for language, violence, mature themes, sexual themes, and shoujo-ai/yuri.**

 _AN: Started on this basically right after Chapter 1 posted. Wanted to try and keep the steam-train rollin'! Also, to the person whom referred to my work as '[a] work of art,' WOW thank you! I wish I knew what your account was so I could send you a message personal/privately! I have a hard time thinking of my writing as 'a work of art' - intrinsic bias and many other reasons - so I love it when people think so highly of my stories! Thank you!_

 _Credits (aka. Betareaders/Proofreaders/Editors/etc): N/A_

* * *

 _ **RWBY: Cat's Out of the Bag**_

 _ **Chapter 2**_

* * *

Their first morning had taught Blake quite a bit about herself and her team. First was that whistles used in close confines were _excruciatingly_ painful, and made Blake want to strangle the whistler. Second was that - when thrown like a bola - said whistle could actually be launched a substantial distance. Third was that Ruby was one part engineering genius, one part absolutely insane, citing their 'bunk beds' as proof. Fourth was that they were apparently living across from Team JNPR whom wound up being just about as late as them. Fifth and finally was the fact that Weiss and to a latter extent Ruby needed to work on their cardio and stamina.

And then came their first class: Grimm Studies, with Professor Peter Port. Blake had run into him _very_ briefly before, and the man was many things, positive and negative. Amongst the latter was the fact that his teaching style was equal parts boring, exhausting, and mind-numbing. That and his stories, _oh_ were his stories such a drawl! Blake would never say the man was not a competent and qualified huntsman, but her 'romance novels' had less purple prose than his retellings did. Luckily for her she'd managed to sneak one of her novellas in with her, giving her something worthwhile to do. Seems her partner was trying to keep herself from screaming or otherwise losing her mind from boredom, while the Heiress was actually taking notes… that or she was writing a novel. Ruby was only slightly more gifted than her sister at entertaining and occupying herself, but was _far_ less good at hiding it.

Then had come the demonstration, to which a rather frustrated Schnee all-too-eagerly volunteered for. Blake figured this would be interesting once she saw the Grimm she'd be up against; her weapon wasn't exactly built for such a creature's tough hide, and Weiss herself wasn't exactly a powerhouse either. But what Blake did know was that she was skilled and _very_ smart, if not as experienced perhaps; she'd think of something. Blake participated in the cheering, up until it seemed that the Heiress was not in the mood for such things… from Ruby at least.

Really Blake wasn't surprised; little Miss Schnee had to be about as entitled as they came, and why wouldn't she be with all the wealth of the Schnee Dust Company there to raise her? She was probably mad that Ruby was the team leader, not she herself, and so came the hissy-fit when daddy's little princess couldn't have her way. After the class was dismissed Blake had in mind to speak to her-

"Miss Belladonna!"

Port, however, seemed to have a different idea.

"Yes sir?"

"Professor Ozpin requested I direct you to his office after class," Port said with his usual airs and pomp. "I assure you that he simply wishes to check in with you!"

"Thank you sir. I'll head there immediately," Blake replied, noting that indeed Weiss and Ruby both had managed to vanish, quickly followed by Yang whom likely was following after her sister.

So to Ozpin's clocktower she went. Blake had been there once before, three days prior to be informed of how the orientation day would play out for her, and it had surprised her that she didn't need a keycard or special access code to get to his office. There was a slot for both in the elevator, but access to the Headmaster's office was not what they were used for. Blake chocked it up to the fact that this was a school to train Hunters, and Ozpin himself was a very respected and well-decorated one at that, so a restricted access was both moot and defeated at least one of the many points..

Stepping out of the elevator and into the office, the faunus found herself momentarily confused when she was greeted by somebody other than Ozpin.

"Miss Belladonna," the blonde woman - Glynda Goodwitch, if Blake recalled correctly. "Thank you for being prompt in your arrival. Ozpin intended to be here but informed me moments ago that he would be delayed. He simply was wanting to get feedback from you regarding your current team."

Ah, there it was. Blake sighed visibly, her ears wilting slightly as she figured this would come up.

"I'm on the same team as Weiss Schnee," she began, rolling her eyes. "Life couldn't be better…"

"I'll ignore the sarcasm for now," Glynda mumbled as she adjusted her glasses with a frown. "As I am one of the select few who is appraised of your situation-"

Right, Blake thought she recognized her; she was the 'associate' whom was overseeing her 'interview'.

"-I am aware that your past history has a lot of delicate details that could result in a lot of friction between yourself and Miss Schnee, if not the rest of your team as well," Glynda's face relaxed from it's stern expression then. "Have you considered how to broach these topics with your team?"

Blake blinked a few times, unsure of the question at first. It wasn't so much as she didn't understand what was being asked, but rather…

"Why?" her thoughts made their way out audibly then, brow furrowing and ears flattening. "There's no way that they should be able to find out without me telling them, right?"

"Incorrect," Glynda replied with her frown returning. "There is no way they can look up your history, or inquire about it from staff or student here at Beacon. Everything that is under our control is absolutely airtight.

"But what about the things we _cannot_ control?"

Blake paled considerably.

"Ozpin said I'd be safe-"

"And you _are_ ," Glynda cut her off, her expression softening again. "But we can only guarantee it here at Beacon. It's very common for students to head into Vale regularly for a myriad of reasons, and we only have so much influence there. You will also be sent on missions as a Huntress when the time comes, which may very well take you far beyond the borders of the kingdoms…"

Blake swallowed, knowing that this was the truth, but…

"Blake," glancing back up, Blake saw the sympathetic empathy in the older woman's eyes as she spoke. "Ozpin… we want you to have a _normal_ life, we want you to be _free_ and not… 'kept on a leash,' as you put it."

"And _I_ just want to be Blake Belladonna, orphaned cat faunus from outside of the kingdoms!" Blake shouted back, her ears held low as her posture became more aggressive. "I don't want any of them to know about who I was!"

"And what happens if they _do_?" Glynda responded, surprisingly calmly. "How strong can our relationships be when we build them on lies and keep them at arm's length?"

"How else am I supposed to do this when I'm on the same team as _Weiss SCHNEE!_ " Blake yelled, taking a few steps forward. "What was Ozpin _thinking_ putting the two of us on the same team?! She has every reason to want to throw me in jail, or just kill me outright!"

"You're right," Glynda responded, her body language shifting towards frustration. "If it were up to me, I would have put you and Miss Xiao Long on the team with Mr. Ren and Miss Valkyrie. The four of you would work exceptionally in close-quarters combat, and would work very well in urban environments. But Ozpin is to whom that decision falls, and ultimately I trust him, deferring to his judgement on this matter."

"You-"

" _Miss Belladonna_ ," Glynda cut her off again, her tone _very_ firm now. "Ozpin does not put teams together haphazardly; poorly coordinated teams run the risk of getting those on the team _killed_. Especially as everyone is a student here, not fully trained and experienced in dealing with the Grimm. He would not place you on the same team as her if he thought it would actively harm you."

Again Blake knew that _had_ to be the case, but…

"Why couldn't he have just let me keep my bow on then? All of this mess could have been avoided-"

"If you had continued to hide in plain sight…" Glynda cut her off again. "...and run from the past… and where would that have gotten you? And for how long? You live together with your team, do you think they never would have noticed?"

"I…" Blake faltered in her convictions, her ears no longer flat, but drooping as she looked away. "...it's hard."

"It's uncomfortable. It is not impossible however," Glynda sighed, seeming strangely tired all of a sudden. "Running from the past gets us nowhere, Blake, but we can learn from it; we can grow and we can change for the future."

Eyes downcast, Blake held herself tightly, forcing herself to breathe steadily. Forcing herself _not_ to… to… she wasn't sure what, but not to do it. It seemed as if Glynda was about to come and physically console the faunus, but apparently decided against it, allowing the girl to soothe her own wounds as it were. Blake pulled herself together after a few moments, glancing back up at the older woman and professor.

"I'll… I'll find some way… to tell them," Blake all but whispered, adding under her breath 'eventually' as an addendum.

"And that was Ozpin's purpose of this meeting," Glynda responded, recomposing herself and her tone as she adjusted her glasses. "Now for what _I_ was hoping to say to you."

Wait, there was more? What?

"Professor?"

"As I am aware of your past situation, I'd like to leave an open invitation with you to come and speak with me if you find yourself needing to talk to someone," Glynda expounded as she approached Blake from Ozpin's desk. "If there is anything bothering you that you don't feel you can speak to your friends and teammates about, I am happy to be your confidant. Particularly if it concerns..."

Glynda seemed to trail off, and Blake noted that it seemed she was having trouble figuring out how to say the next part. She'd be right in but a moment.

"...let's just say if it concerns ' _a significant figure_ ' from the White Fang and leave it at that," Glynda finished, glancing over the top of her glasses as Blake realized just _whom_ she was speaking about. "Barring extreme circumstance or class-time, I should be available any time of the day or night."

"And… Ozpin?"

"Trust is a two-way street, Miss Belladonna," Glynda was before the younger woman now, her expression cocked into a smirk that oozed confidence. "Ozpin has just as much faith in me as I in him."

A curious thought found it's way into Blake's mind just then.

"...are you two-"

"No," Glynda's expression hardened to a firm, piercing glare that made Blake stand ramrod straight. "We are _not_. Honestly, why does every student assume Ozpin and I are _together_?"

Blake opened her mouth to respond and-

"That was _rhetorical_ , Miss Belladonna. Now you should probably be on your way or your teammates will likely believe that you've somehow managed to get yourself in trouble on your first day."

Blake was also quite happy to be over and done with the conversation as well. Regardless of the offer made in kindness, Blake had no intention of following up with it anytime soon. The suggestion about her upbringing and once-family… she hated that Glynda was right. Still didn't mean she had to address it _now_.

"Okay. Thank you, Professor Goodwitch," Blake responded, and with a polite nod to the other woman she calmly walked to the elevator which began to open before she'd even pressed the button.

"Miss Belladonna," Ozpin, perfect timing right as Blake was leaving, carrying mug and cane and all as he always did. "It seems I missed the meeting I requested of you entirely. My apologies."

"It's fine; Professor Goodwitch and I had a very good discussion." Blake's smile was as sincere as she could manage it, but it was a smile at the very least.

"I'm sure it was," Ozpin seemed to take a moment's pause for appraisal, before leaving the elevator and allowing her into it alone. "Oh, just so you know: Miss Xiao Long might bombard you all with questions about why all three of you were late to your next classes. I suspect she may be worried about her teammates already."

The elevator closed after that, allowing Blake to sigh and finally relax in the seclusion and silence of the metal, mechanical device. Right after their first class too, this was… yeah, it was 'great'.

"Wait, all _three_ of us?" Blake mused aloud, realizing that that means Ruby and Weiss had spoken with a professor as well. "Oh, great…"

* * *

"Well, glad we could get the whole team together for our first lunch as a team!" Yang announced as she slammed her tray into the tabletop in front of Blake, and only her as the rest of the table was empty.

"I'm not sure your sarcasm is any better than your puns… also can you ease up on the loud noises?," Blake replied from her plate laden with fish with her ears folded back in determination, for she certainly had her full attention on her lunch (gods she loved tuna!). "They were a bit tense after Port's class; probably thought it was best to just… give each other some space."

"The Ice Queen needs to chill out…" Yang's eyes widened into a brilliant grin. "Oh! Punned without even meaning to, yes! But seriously, Weiss needs to lay off Ruby."

"Agreed," Blake couldn't have agreed more. "She's younger than all three of us sure, but she was accepted and made leader like everyone else; she deserves a chance."

"Yeah, and she'll do a great job! You saw her leading the charge during initiation, right?" Yang brought her hands up, clutching at her chest. "Warms my heart to see my little sister grow up!"

Blake's lips twitched up into a smile, sorrow mixed with an empathic warmth from the blonde, but it was gone the next moment. After all there was tuna to be had.

"So I know why those two were late, but what held you up?" Yang asked the next moment, before digging into her own red-meat-laden meal. "You were later than Weiss and Ruby to class!"

"I had a quick meeting with Professor Goodwitch," simple, not heavy on the detail… a good, concise response that _shouldn't require further inquisition_.

"Oh… OH! Did something happen? Did you get in trouble? It's only the first day what could you have done?!" Yang seemed rather worried about her, and Blake found herself rolling her eyes having to admit that Ozpin had been right on that part.

"No, I didn't get in trouble. Goodwitch just…" Blake hesitated a moment, not sure quite how to word it to eliminate further prying. "She was following up with me, seeing if there was going to be a problem with me being on a team with a Schnee."

Okay, now if she was right then the next question would be:

"Wait, why would she need to do that?" Yang asked, confused. "I mean sure she's a prissy little princess, but she certainly could work with us when things hit the fan. Nevermore, remember?"

"Weiss' family is the largest supplier of Dust in the world," Blake responded, ears and expression falling a moment after. "But the Schnee Dust Company has a very long history that is riddled with questionable business practices, ethics violations, and Faunus rights violations."

And like that Yang understood, and she didn't have to tell her everything. As it so went then, the best lies always contained an element of truth to it; it made it less obvious, and easier to remember.

"I mean, she has been a bit uncomfortable around you," Yang continued, which confirmed that it was obvious that Weiss was indeed acting noticeably odd around her, and/or that the blonde was more aware of such things than Ruby. "That doesn't mean she hates you though, right?"

"Of course not," Blake rolled her eyes again - she'd been doing that a lot recently. "Just all of Faunus-kind."

"Maybe her family's reputation just… precedes her?" Yang proposed, met by a curious look from the Faunus as she calmly continued to make her tuna disappear. "I mean, if a family as famous as hers is known for discriminating against Faunus, how many do you think she's been around? Or how many do you think she's known _positively_?"

"You're not wrong," Blake relented, having finished her lunch and pushed her tray into one of the empty spaces at the table, sitting back in her chair and glancing up at the high ceiling. "But reality is hardly ever so optimistic."

"Buuut you don't know for sure, right?" Yang's smile was contagious, Blake realized; it was effortful to keep from returning it. "Ice Queen's a spoiled little rich girl - we _all_ see that! - but we still gotta give her a chance, right?"

Blake relented with a sigh. What was it with attractive blondes giving her sagely advice today? 'Tell your teammates about being in the White Fang otherwise you build your relationship on deception.' 'Don't assume Weiss is a racist bigot just because her family is and give her a shot.' Blake was sure if this kept up she'd develop quite the distaste for blondes in her life…

"You gonna finish that, Kitty-cat?" Yang was of course pointing to the rest of the meal sans tuna and sandwich.

"You were sounding a lot more convincing before the nicknames and the rhyming," Blake responded with a grin now, pulling her food in closer to herself. "Almost like a mom."

"Eh, older sister; got _fifteen years_ of experience being one! For Ruby of all people!" Blake shot the blonde a glare after she noticed her sneaking towards her fries, ears flat and indicative of anger. "Wow, those ears make that glare _work_!"

"Quit trying to steal my food."

"I'll consider it, Kitty-cat!"

* * *

First day of classes was at an end, and truth be told Blake was actually looking rather forward to the classes. At least the ones they'd had that day anyhow, and with the possible exception of Port's class. It might as well have been called 'Introduction to Storytime with Port' if they were trying to be honest. She figured her teammates were happiest for Glynda's class, mainly because both Ruby and Yang seemed more of the 'practical application' sort, unlike Weiss whom threw herself rather hard into studying all things textbook, academic, and theoretical. How fitting that Blake would find herself somewhere in-between those two extremes.

After classes had finished, the group had gone their separate ways; Yang made her way to a training facility to get a workout in, Weiss to the library, and Ruby to… she wasn't really sure where Ruby went, but Blake knew that she had the room all to herself from there until evening. Plenty of time to catch up on her reading, which may or may not have included an old copy of _Ninjas of Love_ that she had found during the remodeling of their room that morning. For the first time in several days, Blake had a nice, calming, quiet place to herself, where her mind was free to relax and ease itself into a good book, taking her to a world where she need not concern herself with the trifling issues of her past, nor the pressing concerns of the future.

Blake was allowed to escape with this written world at her fingertips… but not for very long, for it as always too short, and never was it long enough.

Her room-and-team-mates arrived one after the other, first Weiss who went straight to studying, then Ruby whom seemed to be doing her best to avoid Weiss, then Yang whom Blake could smell from across the room (she may not have had the most heightened sense of smell as a cat faunus, but it was still somewhat heightened and Yang had been working out fiercely). Thankfully the evening played out quietly: Yang beelined for the shower and afterwards hopped into her bunk and was basically unconscious in moments, Weiss continued to study long into the evening, and Ruby… she seemed to have been quietly setting up her bed with all her study materials and homework. Interesting, the latter… perhaps Weiss' earlier gripes - or whatever talks the two had had with whomever it was they spoke with - had spurred her to take things more seriously than she'd been behaving during the first class of the day.

All the while Blake watched silently, ears twitching as they oriented to the sounds around her, eyes scanning book pages up and down. As it looked like Ruby was finally losing out to sleep, Blake realized just how thirsty she was. Quietly getting up, she made her way out of the dorm room and down the hallway towards where she knew the dorm kitchen to be (after all, though not on this floor in particular, she had been staying here longer than the rest). A glass of water was her easily achievable goal, then it would be finally time to head back and call it an evening.

As she was leaving however, a certain snow-haired Heiress appeared before her, and this time it was both of their turns to be surprised at the other.

"Oh, Blake," Weiss began, forcing a smile. "Wasn't expecting to… meet you here."

"Same," Short and sweet, almost like the Heiress if you ignored the latter descriptor. "I came to get water."

"Oh. I'm getting coffee for Ruby. So she can keep studying!" Blake noticed she was very quick to add the addendum she noted. "But since I'm apparently on a roll today: we need to talk."

Oh gods it was happening again! First Glynda, then Yang, now Weiss, _Weiss_! Oh what could she _possibly_ have to talk to her about now?

"Right now? It's rather late."

"It needs to be private, and with those two for teammates I doubt we'll get that anytime soon," Weiss thumbed in the direction of the dorm, as if she could possibly be talking about any other set of teammates they had.

"And Ruby's coffee?"

"Oh, it shouldn't take long, I hope," Weiss negotiated her way past Blake into the kitchen, waltzing - what else would you call that haughty, princess-y walk of hers? - over to the coffeepot. "Let me just get the coffee started."

Blake pinched the bridge of her nose firmly, the pain and pressure serving as a fair distraction for but a moment before she sighed and stepped back from the kitchen doorway and over to towards the island centerpiece. This was to be her day today: a series of classes and unwanted conversations with intermittent reading. At this point she was so far past wanting it to be over it had far surpassed funny, looped around, and was rapidly passing being funny once more. Watching the Heiress throw together a batch of coffee to brew somehow didn't help her mood any either.

"There! Now," Weiss twirled around, arms crossed and across the central island of the otherwise open kitchen, straight-backed and locking onto Blake's eyes perhaps a little too hard. "We can talk."

Blake nodded, then silence. Followed then by more silence, quickly becoming awkward. Blake noted Weiss has been uncomfortable before, but with the awkward silence kicking in it was clear that Blake could handle the silence better. She knew this to be true already, but it was always good to have objective proof of theoretical concept.

"Right, so, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but our interactions have been a bit… awkward."

"You don't say?" the sarcasm flowed out like water from a tap, and the Heiress bristled at it. "Oh, _sorry_ , did I say that aloud?"

"Yes, you did, but you're right," Weiss admitted, something that seemed to be hard for her. "I"ve been a bit… uncomfortable around you."

Blake thankfully held her sarcastic tongue back this time, though her ears certainly betrayed some of her emotion. Being without her bow on had left her more expressive, she'd noticed. She'd have to work on that.

"Since you recognized me on-sight, I'm going to assume that you're aware that my family…" Weiss pursed her lips as she sought out an appropriate word. "...has a complicated history with-"

"The Schnee Dust Company has a longstanding history of violating the various rights - from labor and civil to natural - of Faunus," Blake's eyes narrowed. "As well as continuing to ' _partner'_ with companies that are at best ethically ' _questionable'_."

"See! This is why I said 'our' first!" Weiss belted back, then held up her arms as if to stop the conversation, taking a deep breath. "No. That's not what I'm trying to do. Look, this isn't about my family; this is about me, and I am _not_ my father's company."

Deja vu. Had Yang put her up to this? Seriously, growing a woeful disdain for the blondes in her life…

"I have no say in what my father does, and yes I'm the Heiress but it's not my company _yet_ ," Weiss continued, glancing back at the coffee for a moment. "Because of the White Fang-"

Blake's ears shot up and froze, but thankfully the rest of her expression held itself together.

"-and the company's reputation, my exposure to Faunus has been at _best_ limited and skewed. Growing up they were just a bunch of unruly, uncivilized liars, thieves, and murderers. Five years ago when the assassinations and thefts started only proved what I had learned was right," Weiss was frowning and tense, which to be fair so was Blake, though likely for a different reason. "But until I met you I'd never actually _known_ any Faunus, let alone talked to them. Now I'm on the same team as one. I've fought alongside one, talked to one, watched as one got accepted alongside me to one of the most prestigious hunting academies in all of Remnant! Then there's Ruby-"

Ruby? Where did she fit into this?

"-whom I just talked to about our recent quibbling, and one of the first things she asked me before anything else was to try and get along with you," Weiss nearly grumbled the last part, and Blake made a mental note to reassess Ruby's social awareness. "So! Like I told her, I'm determined to be the best teammate I can be, for _all_ of my teammates. So basically I'm going to attempt to be less… awkward around you, and we can work on making _this_ work."

Coffee seemed to be done now, and… was Weiss really adding that much sugar for-oh, right, _Ruby's_ coffee, nevermind. Blake mentally shook herself and figured that the Ice Queen - dammit, now she was mentally calling her that too, what was with her head today? - at least deserved a response. Damn was she tired now from all this...

"I think our partners set us up for this; Yang told me I shouldn't be judging you for the actions of the Schnee Dust Company, and that you might not have known any Faunus properly," Blake began, sighing softly from the exhaustion of the day. "I'm tired, so I'll just be blunt: I'm willing to work with you, but I'm not going to bite my tongue just to be a 'good Faunus' or whatever. You want me to work with you? You have to be willing to give _all_ Faunus a chance, clear?"

Weiss was frowning more then, her grip on the cup a little tighter, though it was but for a moment before she exhaled sharply.

"Only if you lay off my family's company; they're not perfect, and neither am I, but it's part of my family and it's _much_ appreciated if you respected that at least," Weiss squared her shoulders. "Now that that's settled…"

And that was it, conversation done; Blake could go back to bed alongside the white-clad Heiress. Then promptly drop into bed and hopefully not be awoken six hours later with a screeching whistle. Then with any luck she would have a day where everything would be normal, and she'd start working to 'get along' with the Ice Queen… dammit, she did it again.

Or so she thought before a nagging little voice in the back of her head that sounded like a certain glasses-wearing blonde woman started whispering to her conscience. Perhaps it was because she was tired enough she was starting to hear things, or perhaps it was the Heiress' rather surprising display of willingness to change and learn and make herself uncomfortable. Ultimately the reason was not important, for what _happened_ was Blake opened her mouth and caught Weiss' attention:

"Weiss!"

The Heiress spun around quickly on one heel, surprisingly not spilling her coffee in the process.

"What?!" it was a hiss of hushed tones, a response to it being late and Blake having been a bit loud to ensure her attention.

"Are you serious about giving Faunus a chance?"

"Why _wouldn't_ I be serious?" the narrowing of Weiss' eyes indicated she wasn't terribly fond of having her word called into question.

Blake didn't have an immediate response to the now impatient Heiress. Blake felt a brief cold chill, an almost literal flash of panic and fear. Her knuckles were white as she clung to the countertop behind her. This was the feeling she got when something particularly bad was about to happen…

"If I tell you something, can you promise me five minutes to explain myself?"

And just like that Weiss' body was tense again.

"What?"

"If I tell you something-"

"I heard you! I just-what is this about?!"

"I have something to tell you, you are _not_ going to like it, but I want you to _trust me_ and not flip out before I explain!" and she was panicking a bit, both of them were, so why in the hell was Blake not shutting the hell up?!

"Oh what could you possibly-"

"I used to be part of the White Fang."

* * *

 _ **End Chapter 2**_

* * *

 _AN: Yes, I know, I'm evil… anyway! I know, lots of talking this chapter (it's my personal criticism of myself; I focus too much on communication in my opinion, not enough on description), but it was kind of necessary. There likely won't be THIS much talking (in terms of chapter-composition) that frequently. Also, some might think that this all happening on day 1 is REALLY fast, but keep in mind this is about matching up with the pace of the show, and truth be told Weiss has demonstrated miraculous capacity for change in the show, more than just season 1. Concerns about Blake being too forthwith with this information… well, let's just say it'll all make sense with time! Anyway, gonna get started on the next chapter soon, so I hope you all enjoy!_

 _Also, reviews are very much appreciated!_

 _ **A.W.R II**_


	4. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, nor do I profit financially from this work of fanfiction.**_

 **WARNINGS: Rated M for language, violence, mature themes, sexual themes, and shoujo-ai/yuri.**

 _AN: So, as of writing this I am still open for people to help proof/edit this story of mine. I seem to be doing okay thus far, but I do appreciate having more than just my eyes reading over things; you get new perspectives. So, gonna get right into this, 'cause we're going in HOT! Might be a little dark tho... just sayin'..._

 _Credits (aka. Betareaders/Proofreaders/Editors/etc): N/A_

* * *

 _ **RWBY: Cat's Out of the Bag**_

 _ **Chapter 3**_

* * *

"I used to be part of the White Fang."

The silence that followed that blunt, revealing admittance could have made a mausoleum seem loud. Blake's eyes turned away the moment she finished letting the words leave her lips, except that perhaps 'letting' implied what she had done had been a reasonable, rational-if-misguided decision. Truth be told she really wasn't sure what compelled her to bring this up now of all times. She could hear the blood pounding in both sets of ears, still not releasing her hold on the countertop behind them. This was fear; she was afraid in a way that took her back to somewhere she didn't want to be, and yet again she'd brought it upon herself.

Only instead of her target of her fear moving aggressively towards her, this target was moving away. At least that's what the movement of Weiss' feet out of the corner of her eyes would indicate. Glancing up, Blake's eyes widened at the expression of the Heiress: eyes were wide as saucers, skin all the more pale like ice through the snowy woman's veins, and she was backing up, away from her, towards the door…

...oh, wait, that wasn't good; the gravity of just how _badly_ this could go wrong sank in, and with an almost whimpering tone:

"Weiss-"

A small glyph appeared before the Heiress, and before Blake could react Weiss had flung the contents of the coffee-cup right at her. Scalding hot coffee in and of itself was not a terrible problem from this distance, but the glyph had quickly solidified it into an improvised piercing weapon, effectively creating a spear of iced coffee. Or perhaps a rapier, for it seemed that the Heiress was not launching it _at_ the surprised Faunus, just towards her before grabbing the end and wielding it like her own blade, Myrtenaster. Were Blake not fearing now for her life, she might have been fascinated by that little trick of hers; she had to have had a small amount of ice-dust somewhere on her…

"Weiss, I'm not here to hurt you!" Blake belted the words out quickly and assuredly. "I promise, I _swear_! I'm not even armed!"

Words seemed to fall on deaf ears; Weiss' blade was held unwaveringly in Blake's direction, anger and a tinge of fear in her eyes, fighting for which one would take over. Jaw was clenched tight, locking her voice away behind the unyielding, shut orifice. Blake may not have been armed, but she certainly wasn't helpless; if the Heiress came at her, Blake was making sure she was getting out of there _alive_.

"Think about it Weiss: what do I have to gain by telling you this?!" Blake was a bit angry now, though at whom was unclear, be it herself or her teammate. "What sort of end-game could _possibly_ involve me telling you this?! _RARGH!_ I'm such an _idiot_!"

She wanted to run. She _really_ wanted to run. She could be gone, without a trace, if only she could get past the Heiress without provoking a fight. Clones or no, Blake did not like testing her capabilities against an armed, angry opponent, particularly with those glyphs controlled by said opponent.

"Five minutes," Blake's ears perked again, the tempestuous storm of her own self-loathing staved off by the Heiresses whispered words. "You have _five minutes_ to explain yourself. I'll consider whether to get Ozpin and the police involved _then_."

Okay, so surprise, surprise; things were going better than it could have. So five minutes…

"...I don't- Where do you want me to start?" Blake responded, almost without thinking as she forced herself to relax as best she could.

"How long?"

"Uh… how long for-"

"How long since you left?!"

"A month… month and a half, maybe," Blake glanced away nervously and grumbling to herself. "This is off to a wonderful start…"

Indeed, the Heiress' jaw could hardly tighten any further without shattering her teeth.

"When did you join? _Why_ would you join those… those _monsters_?!"

Blake's teeth grit tighter and for a moment Blake looked angry. But she bit her tongue back, taking a deep breath and giving her a firm look.

"I didn't _choose_ to join them; the White Fang are the ones who raised me," Blake answered with an eerie calm to her tone. "I don't know who my parents are; I never knew them. I'm told they found me, alone, abandoned, barely alive. They took me in - they took in a lot of Faunus orphans, and seventeen years ago, with the way the Faunus were treated, there were a _lot_ of orphans like me - and they took care of me communally. Every woman was my mother, every man my father, and every child my sibling; they nursed me, fed me, clothed me, educated me, trained me… they were my _family_ …"

Blake's jaw tightened again and she shot the Heiress a look, only this time she didn't hold her words back.

"And they weren't _monsters_!" she spat, standing up straight and strong, despite the re-leveled blade - previously dropped low as she listened - aimed at her throat. "They were activists! They wanted _equality_! They-"

" _Shut up!I_ " the Heiress' turn to become impassioned, stepping forward with the blade of ice unwavering. "Activists don't steal entire trains filled with _dust_! Activists don't _assassinate_ family friends and board members!"

"They weren't always that way!"

"They've been at _war_ with my family for generations!"

"We were ' _fighting_ ' non-violently for equality! After a _war_ where humans tried to enslave us! Your family and many others were treating us like _animals_!"

"And then you showed us all you're just a bunch of _liars, thieves, and murderers_!"

" _Well what did you think would happen?!_ " Blake was shouting right back at her, regardless of the impromptu ice weapon leveled still upon her. "I was at every rally, part of every boycott, every protest, since I was able to walk, and do you know what happened? Peaceful protests were met with armed resistance and lethal force! Quiet rallies were disrupted with dangerous and disfiguring dust-powered grenades from Schnee-bought mercenaries and Atlas soldiers! Boycotts barely made a difference because the companies often refused to serve us anyway! Our attempts at peace and equality were met with violence and subjugation!

" _So maybe we were finally tired of being pushed around_!"

Blake was screaming even as her vision blurred; stinging tears welled up and spilled out across her cheeks. Again she found herself regretting the impulsive decision that had led to this; why, oh _why_ did she do this? Truly, what had possessed her to blurt out her secret so brashly and bluntly to the _one person_ in all of Beacon that was sure to have the worst possible reaction to this? At this point it was… ah, whatever; she'd already dug a grave if she had, why hold back now?

"Peace got us _nowhere_! What were we supposed to do?!" her voice continued to unravel from it's righteous indignation. "We were hurt! We were angry! I watched _my family_ being murdered and abused just because they wanted to be treated with basic _human_ decency! And then _he_ steps up and overnight everything changes! You humans made us out to be monsters and beasts, so we donned the masks of monsters to become the beasts you said we were!

"You started to respect us because you were _afraid_! We were equals because of _fear_! Your businesses sold to us because they risked _reprisal_ otherwise! We did to you humans what you had done to us for _generations_ and it worked!" her knees couldn't hold her anymore; her body felt like it was going limp and weak, but she was well beyond the point of caring. "But that wasn't enough for _him_! _He_ wanted revenge, _he_ wanted you to _pay_ for everything! It wasn't enough to go after discriminating businesses, bigots, and oppressors; he wanted _genocide_ and everyone _listened to him_!

"And I couldn't stop him…" Blake's voice began to choke, her throat tightening as the lump formed in it. "He was… I couldn't… I tried I… I didn't want it, I… I am _not_ a murderer…"

" _I am not his love_!"

She didn't realize it at the time, but those would be her last words for the night as that lump in her throat finally broke after that last ounce of confidence leaked through into her declaration. It seemed this was an all-too-frequent occurrence of late; her ears were drooped, her eyes turning red and blurry, her cheeks staining red as tears ran down them tumultuously paired with her cries. Unlike before she felt little reason - or perhaps was too far gone instead - to stop it.

In finally allowing the words to flow forth from her lips, Blake realized just how alone in the world she was. The only family she'd ever known had become the monsters they had only sought to emulate, radicalizing their once peaceful ideologies towards genocide. The only one she'd ever loved, the one who'd held her heart - once passionately, then suffocatingly, finally hostage - was now her greatest threat with her betrayal. Now more than ever she had nobody, save the characters in her books, but did she really think that would suffice now? Her heart was hurt and heavy, she missed the people she'd once called family whom only saw her as foe now... she was _scared_.

And to her, all of these feelings, all of this pain, could have been avoided with the help of a little, black, bow...

The dam upon the feelings she had been trying to squash finally broke; Blake's hands covered her face as every ounce of negative emotion came streaming out in her cries. A decade and more of suffering, years of pain and loss and sadness, the isolation, the loneliness, the heartbreak, the years of escapism, all seemingly catching up to her right there in that very moment. The hurt was felt in every cry, and yet it was heard by none but one so late that night and so far from the dorm-rooms proper.

Too far gone into the depths of her woe, it was Blake's ears that first brushed against the fabric backed by warmth and softness, unaware save on an instinctual, basic level that she was being drawn into an embrace. With a mind of their own Blake's arms wrapped around her embracer, digging tightly into shirt and flesh beneath as her face found it's way firmly into breast, muffling her cries and soaking her tears. None of this registered with her as everything kept flowing forth exhaustively and relentlessly, so powerfully and for so long she didn't even notice as the world around her began to fade…

* * *

Throbbing was the first thing the faunus noticed; Blake's entire head was throbbing, intensely. A headache - possibly a migraine but she had yet to open her eyes - a powerful stinging in her eyes and cheeks, her shoulder and hip ached from pressure and her body weight, and her spine felt like it was twisting up. But at least her pillow was warm…

...wait, she didn't remember going to bed last night. In fact - as the events of the evening prior snapped back into the forefront of her mind - Blake's eyes popped open to a vision of white, blue, and red instead of the wooden underside of Yang's bunk.

' _Oh no…'_

Blake panicked and activated her semblance, throwing herself backwards and into the base of the central island countertop with a crash, as the girl that she had been clinging to was awoken from having dropped bodily to the ground briefly. Thankfully for both of them neither had hit their head on the hard surfaces, and with years of reflexes and training behind both of them both were sitting upright upon the floor of the kitchen, eyes darting around to assess for threat. Blake noticed the large coffee stain upon the floor nearby, as if the coffee had been left to dry over the course of hours, the cup nearby, upright. Light peaked in from the window - it was morning, early, by the angle. Weiss was shocked awake, then calmed, then eyes snapped open at the flattened-eared faunus currently staring at her.

Blake wasn't terribly sure why she didn't run out of the kitchen just then; that would have been the perfect time to get away.

"You!" Blake found herself accosted by a finger brandished at her, a slight feeling of deja vu passing over her. "Couldn't you have woken me gentler?!"

"Woken you? _Woken you_?! You were sleeping with me in the middle of the kitchen!" Blake's eyes somehow snapped even wider. " _You were sleeping with me_?!"

" _You_ passed out while crying and wouldn't let go of me! What was I supposed to do?!"

Blake found herself confused again, and it was then that she realized whose breast it was she was crying into for gods knew how long.

"Oh…" was all she could say, eyes glancing away from the Heiress as her ears wilted once more with her expression. "...I'm sorry about that."

"Oh please, you weren't even really _there_ after you started yelling," Weiss' words were blunt, but her tone betrayed a reservation in the Heiress that Blake easily picked up on. "How are you feeling?"

A beat or two passed in silence…

"Wonderful," Blake grumbled sarcastically as she finally pushed off of the floor, getting to her feet. "Who doesn't enjoy a good emotional breakdown and sleeping with a relative stranger cuddled on a kitchen floor?"

"Clearly you _are_ doing well if you can afford to be sarcastic," Weiss too joined her on her feet, wincing a bit as she put weight on what was apparently an asleep leg.

Another beat in silence passes…

"Weiss-"

"Blake-"

Both spoke at the same time, but Blake was the first to allow the Heiress first rights to speaking. Weiss in turn seemed to take the offer earnestly.

"Look, you were really upset and crying and that was the only thing I could think of to do," Weiss began, shifting uncomfortably - though from what Blake could see it was likely due in part to some stiff muscles from the aforementioned sleeping upon the hard floor. "And before you ask: no, I'm not going to call the police."

Oh thank the gods! Blake finally let out a breath she'd been unknowingly holding.

"But I _am_ telling Ozpin!"

"Um, he knows already."

"... _what_?"

"Ozpin knows people; he has connections, and I popped up on certain reports fairly frequently, apparently," Blake explained, rubbing her sore hip as she did. "I applied after I left… my family. I was allowed to test in on the condition that I never wore my bow."

"Your bow?"

Blake pointed to the black ribbon tied neatly around her forearm, in addition to the bands and straps and ribbons already criss-crossing her forearm.

"I wear… _used to wear_ a bow, to hide my ears. It made a lot of things easier when people thought you looked human, particularly when it came to avoiding… problems," problems such as the last three days for the faunus. "I actually spoke to Glynda yesterday about… how to tell everyone on the team about… my past."

And now she was wondering if - during that brief interaction and unbeknownst to her - she had somehow been bewitched by the Goodwitch of Ozpin's tower…

"Look, can we talk about this some other time?" Blake whipped out her scroll and checked the time. "If yesterday was any indication, then we have… five minutes before our teammates are waking up and wondering where we were. Also we're not the best dressed for everyone else…"

Weiss seemed like she wanted to say something, but bit back her tongue with a frown and held up an accusatory finger.

"This isn't over, Blake Belladonna," Weiss proclaimed. "I may not be reporting you to the police, but we _are_ talking about this more before I can say everything is okay. _And_ I'm having words with Ozpin for not telling me when I got here!"

"Sure," Blake sighed to hide the eye-rolling that was itself to hide the growing throbbing in her head. "Just don't threaten me with coffee next time."

"Hmph, just be glad I believe you're not out to hurt me at this point," Weiss retorted as she rounded on her heel and began to waltz her way past the coffee stain and mug and out the door...

Blake's ears twitched as she picked up the part that Weiss muttered under her breath though: " _But that doesn't mean I trust you."_ Blake considered stopping to take care of the coffee staining the floor, ultimately deciding against it and instead following the Heiress - at a distance - and preparing for the day. She'd have to apologize to the cleaning staff sometime…

* * *

Masking one's emotions was apparently something that both Blake and the Heiress had in common, though the faunus would suspect it was due to drastically different circumstances. Suffice to say their teammates were none the wiser about the previous night, unless of course they happened to be better at lying than they let on (Yang she might could see, but Ruby? Inspiringly, refreshingly inept at lying convincingly). For the most part things seemed to be continuing as they were, which was to say she and Weiss weren't really talking much, which likely helped ease any awkwardness that night might have left between them in addition to all other obvious benefits.

The first week of classes seemed to pass in a flash; the first two days were… they were introductory, but the demonstration in Port's class was certainly the highlight of the introductions. Oobleck - Doctor, not Professor - was a fair third placement with his personality alone, and Glynda's sparring sessions were easily the second most interesting class, but lost to Port for those days with an absence of any actual sparring during the first class. Day four was, of course, a far more intriguing day as they got the chance to actually spar, and Blake got a chance to watch these Hunters in training show off their skill.

It was a fascinating series of displays; every student was clearly very capable (well, _almost_ every as Pyrrha and Jaune's fight had shown), but some were clearly better than others. Her team and Team JNPR - sans Jaune, whom was just… just _sad_ \- seemed in a league of their own, but the rest were still more capable than the Atlas unmanned defense drones she'd become quite adept at dispatching with haste. Of them all, it would seem that Pyrrha shined as the most capable combatant, but what would one expect from a several-time international gladiatorial champion and prodigy? Ren demonstrated he was quite adept without a weapon, and from the perspective of raw skill was certainly beyond that of his foe, Nora. Nora however had substantially better conditioning and energy (Blake feared that Nora was sapping Ren's energy through some sort of spiritual vampirism), and would win through sheer tenacity.

Ruby and Weiss had been an interesting match; Weiss was the far more formally trained, Ruby seemed to have the better instincts, suggesting she was the more experienced (an impressive feat, two years the Heiress' junior). Both were quick, neither was an overwhelming powerhouse like Nora or Yang, one had one of the most dangerous weapons ever fathomed, the other had one of the most recognizable and diverse semblances ever recorded. Made for an interesting stage to be set, and without the rigors of combat plaguing Blake's immediate mind she could observe their prowess in more detail.

Unsurprisingly Weiss would be the winner; Ruby may not have been holding back, but she was also very clearly not wanting to hurt her partner. Come to think of it, Weiss and Pyrrha seemed to perform well against their human foes, but barring the near-death experience with the Deathstalker, Ruby had been a far more effective foe against the Grimm they'd fought, as had Nora. Now that she thought about it, Blake's tactics against the larger beast hadn't been terribly effective either… and her smaller-caliber rounds had seemed to faze it naught. They would have been quite useful for the foes she had been… trained to ' _fight'_.

She was starting to see why Ozpin referred to her as a 'hunter of men'...

But then it was her turn, against none other than-

"Who's ready for a _catfight_?!"

" _Really_ Yang?"

"What? That was a good one!"

"No, it really was not," Blake hid her smirk as she reached up and switched Gambol Shroud's safety off. "Besides, if it's a cat fight, and I'm the only Faunus, doesn't that make you a 'pussy'?"

Yang's jaw dropped as Blake let her smirk show, but it was brief as the brawler's grin overtook her face once more. She actually seemed more excited now, which she wasn't sure whether that was good or bad…

"Ohoho! I knew you had it in you!" Yang slammed her fists together before taking up a ready stance. "Maybe knocking you around a bit will help bring that lovely sarcasm out!"

"Hm, if you can hit me," was Blake's rebuke as she too dropped low and ready, awaiting Glynda Goodwitch's notice to start the match.

The blonde's competitive spirit was a tad infectious, it would seem, but that wasn't necessarily a _bad_ thing! The buzzer to start set both of them into motion, and Blake's mind to racing. Yang came forth quickly, guard up and surprisingly light on her feet, but the girl was a boxer after all and such was the name of the game. Made Blake's job of dodging easier with how direct it was, but even so the jabs and crosses Yang started throwing were _fast_! Blake was faster yes, but a moment's hesitation and she'd receive one of those punches full-force.

Ducked one, sidestepped another, Blake drew Gambol Shroud and made a slash at Yang's hip in an attempt to slow her down, only to find it parried with one of her gauntlets. Seems she too had finely tuned instincts; apparently the Rose-Xiao-Long family had it running through their veins. The following left haymaker caught her semblance as she darted around to Yang's back and repeated the tactic to far greater success, though as expected of this bout Yang's semblance held firm. Yang spun and backed up briefly, a smile still on her face as Blake took the time to draw Gambol's sheath-blade with her left hand, sheathing her weapon as well in the process.

"Riiight… forgot you could do that, Blake-y!" Yang shook out her leg as she spoke, humor behind her vibrant, purple orbs. "Nice shot, won't work twice though!"

Was that perhaps a challenge? Blake didn't really have time to contemplate such as Yang dived right back in, forcing the faunus to block with her sheathed weapon. Repeatedly in fact; seems she'd switched up and started throwing a flurry, forcing Blake to absorb some blows with her semblance, and attempt a draw-cut like… like her 'teacher' had taught her to do. It made contact across the shoulder, but she couldn't get it back to her sheath in time before another one of her clones was taking a countering strike to the face and Blake was forced to back off. A quick observation showed that her shot had had little impact, even though she knew it was a solid hit… just how tough was Yang? Maybe it was her semblance? What _was_ Yang's semblance anyway? All good questions, bad time to ask them as she had a match to win.

Change in tactics; Blake dashed forward and went on the offensive, and immediately Yang parried the first strike and started backwards, then parried her sheath-blade just as easily. She suspected Yang was a very aggressive fighter, so putting her on the defensive would put her at a disadvantage. And it worked, briefly; a shot from Ember Celica at close range forced her into dodging back once more, and just like that she was back to being under the pressure of Yang's onslaught. Blake grit her teeth as she shifted her weapon and started firing her small-caliber rounds in Yang's direction, scoring one hit but it did the job and let her put distance between them. Maybe if she caught her off guard now…

With a sidearm throw and a loud report from her weapon, the spinning blade of Gambol began it's flight towards her yellow foe, which as she suspected was easily dodged as Yang charged forward at her, rearing to strike her now that she was without her weapon. A tug on her ribbon and another report, and the spinning blade whipped back around and wrapped it's way around to the golden-haired beauty's back. The best part about her gamble with Gambol was that it paid off; a solid cut right across the back, a heavy hit to the girl's semblance before the tricky weapon found it's way back into her hand. For a moment Blake allowed herself time to enjoy her success…

...until she saw three small, golden strands of hair fall to the floor, and an astonished look on Yang's face as she noticed the same.

"RUN BLAKE!" a tiny voice called as loudly as she could, the familiar voice of Ruby Rose. "GET OUT OF THERE AND RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"

The call was confusing until she glanced into the blood-red eyes of Yang's face. Then she remembered the Ursa she'd demolished for committing a similar offense.

"Oh…" Blake whispered audibly as her ears flattened in concern, which was turned into surprise and momentary panic as she noticed Yang had suddenly become a _lot_ faster. "OH!"

She managed to put up a guard in time with her sheath, but it did little good as she found herself feeling as though the Nevermore they'd fought together had crashed into her headlong. She was off her feet and flying backwards from the hit, and her shoulder and elbow felt strained from the blow. Blake didn't remember her being _this_ strong before; apparently getting pissed off turned her into someone downright superhuman! Blake grit her teeth again, but didn't have time to compose herself before the raging, fiery beast that was Yang Xiao-Long was upon her once more. Instinct kicked in and her semblance soaked another hit as she ducked down, slid to the side and brought her weapon up with the blade leveled point-first at Yang's neck, and-

Then she froze, stock still, every muscle locked up tight. What had she been just about to do? The querying didn't get much further than that; her moment of hesitation turned into an opening for the rampaging blonde, whose fist rocketed around and caught her with a corkscrew twist across the chin. Oh _wow_ did that hurt as Blake was launched headlong into the ground, bouncing off the floor and totally off the ground, only to catch a follow-up uppercut that propelled her high into the sky. Momentum had her land into the upper portion of one of the walls instead of the ceiling or falling back to the ground perhaps, but stone and concrete didn't exactly serve as the best cushioning.

"Ow…" Blake managed through the pain of her _entire_ body hurting while stuck in the wall. "Why does my _everything_ hurt?"

"I told you to run! Yang _really_ likes her hair, Blake!" Ruby's voice pierced through the rapidly forming headache. "Never mess with her hair!"

" _Noted_ … ow..."

* * *

"I said I was sorry."

Blake continued to glare over the top of her book at the blonde, curling further into the corner of her bed as she did. She'd been doing this for quite some time, her ears flat and clearly demonstrating her irritation at the blonde.

"You punched me into a wall."

"To be fair you did cut my hair. Do you know how hard it is to take care of these _beautiful_ golden waves?"

"It took Goodwitch ten minutes to work me out of the stone… with her _semblance_."

"...I can give you my share of tuna next time they're serving it?"

"Tuna does not…" Blake was meaning to say 'does not make everything better,' but really she'd be lying to herself if she said so. "...that is acceptable. You are forgiven your transgressions."

"Hooray! Team RWBY is happy and friendly again!"

"Ruby! You're being _loud_!"

"...Most of Team RWBY is happy and friendly again…"

"I heard that, you dolt!"

"Cat ears. Faunus hearing. Loud noises." Blake grunted from her comfy little corner as the bickering started up again. "Nevermind. Going to the library, see you all at dinner."

"I'll join you," surprisingly it was the studious Ice Queen who announced the intention to join in a trip to the library. "I need to find another source for the upcoming paper in Ooblek's class."

"Uh… Weiss that's… a month from now," Ruby stated from her spot hanging from her hanging bunk, confused. "Why would you need to work on it now?"

"Some of us value our grades Ruby," Weiss huffed as she stood and collected her notebooks and binders.

"Wait, we get grades on things?"

"Be quiet you!" Yang actually laughed at the glare that was given her by the Heiress.

"Blake's glares are _so_ much better!"

"Ugh! Why do I even bother?" Weiss threw her bag over her shoulder and beelined it for the door. "Come on, Blake."

Blake sighed, but followed nonetheless. As she shut the door Ruby's joyous cries about how she and Blake were 'friends now' caught her ears, twisting her expression into a grimace. 'Friend' was quite a stretch; they were under a mutual understanding to not kill each other, sure, but there was of yet little relationship beyond that. The Schnee and she had reason to try and make this work too, or at least both _had_ prior to her indiscrete disclosure last night. With any luck things would improve, though she was trying not to let her hopes get up.

The library was thankfully quiet, perhaps in part because it was the start of the year and nobody was really thinking of going to the _library_ save for the quiet bookworms - see the faunus - and the hyper-studious - see the Heiress - of which neither was likely to make much of a scene. The first thing they did - or rather Blake did and then Weiss followed in kind - was pick out a secluded into some small nook of the library, then the Heiress split off to go find her new source. Blake considered finding another spot without her present for some _actual_ personal quiet time, but the urge was fleeting as any reasonable person such as she would realize Weiss clearly wanted to chat. About what? Well, given three guesses Blake would end up with three correct answers…

The sound of a sizable book connecting roughly with the desk startled the reading faunus from her book. And what a book it was.

"You're going to use _that_ as a source?"

"Why wouldn't I? It's thorough and a well-respected publication."

"...sure, go ahead." Blake went back to reading, though she didn't suspect she'd be at it long (mainly she wanted to finish out the page she was on before being forced to stop).

"Anyway, I actually just wanted a quiet, private place where we could continue our conversation from earlier this week," Weiss stated, as predictable as clockwork. "I meant it when I said we weren't done talking about this."

Blake sighed and dogeared the page she was on, shutting her book and setting it down away from her as she adjusted her posture. If she was going to have to deal with more inquiries from the Heiress, she might as well be comfortable.

"Go ahead; I'm sure that you've been thinking of questions to ask me all week."

"I have in fact," 'oh gods no' was Blake's immediate thought. "And the biggest question I have for you was… what all did you _do_?"

"...you're going to have to be a lot more specific, Weiss."

"Ugh! What sort of… 'assignments' did they give you? That's how they worked right? Some 'military' charade?"

"I wouldn't call it a 'charade'; they're very much an army of revolutionaries."

"Not the point, Blake!"

"I know. Relax and calm down; knowing you this is going to require the long story, and yes I'll start at the beginning…" Blake settled in with her arms across her chest, taking a deep breath before continuing.

She started with her youth: she was a protestor, boycotter, and rights activist. Whenever there was a gathering of people, a movement, she was right at the front with the rest of her 'family' pushing for equality and justice. It was a tale of an exercise in futility; she recalled more police intervention and violence than actual change, but still they were undeterred, still they persisted in their peaceful protests. Blake recalled posing the rhetorical question as to why having cat ears suddenly made a ten-year-old girl dangerous enough to warrant being beaten with a police stun-stick, but she couldn't remember if she'd actually gotten a non-rhetorical answer.

When she got to the part of A- _his_ rise to leadership and power, she started being more specific. After all, she was older and able to remember them more, and overall there were less 'missions' taken by her during this time. She didn't go chronologically, instead describing how she'd participated in robberies, destroyed storefronts owned by discriminating humans, and freed faunus 'workers' sometimes bound in literal shackles in dangerous dust mines. Some of the missions, their recollection brought a smile to the feline's features, brief and fleeting as she moved forward into things she was… less proud of.

Throughout this Weiss' expression was completely stoic; Blake couldn't read her, and that was not something she was used to having be the case. Then again, she was a Schnee, and they were nothing if not stoic. It was almost surprising then as Blake found herself silent, unwilling to continue into the more… problematic areas of her history.

"Blake," Weiss queried coldly, her eyes narrowing - the first expression in quite some time. "Did you ever kill anyone?"

Blake considered a sarcastic remark about 'self-defense,' but bit her tongue instead.

" _Blake_."

"It's… complicated."

"No it's not! Either you killed someone or-"

"It isn't that simple!" Blake was growling now, ears flattening as her hands gripped the table. "Did I slit anyone's throat? No, no I didn't, okay? But that doesn't mean… doesn't mean I wasn't _there_ …"

And now she felt ashamed; of all the things she regretted she and her 'family' had done, this was by far what she regretted most.

"Who?"

"I really don't-"

" _Who_?!" Weiss was on her feet and positively seething. "Tell me Blake!"

"My partner was… he insisted on carrying out every high-profile assassination himself," Blake finally admitted, but she could no longer look at Weiss' face. "He insisted I accompany him on every one."

Silence, but Blake didn't dare look up at the Heiress' face. She could imagine it right now, how horrified, sickened she must be by her. Truth was, Blake was probably more sickened with herself than the Heiress was, because she knew that if she had simply been _stronger_ from the start…

"So the board members," Weiss offered up, her tone speaking of shock and disbelief. "The CEOs… father's friends, business partners… you just _stood there_ and watched _all_ of them die?"

"Yes."

"You…" the Heiress trailed off, but Blake still couldn't meet her eyes.

"He convinced me it was necessary, and I was so weak I believed him," Blake pulled her legs back up to her chest, hugging them close to her tightly. "I always believed him; he was always right, who was I to argue? The first few were slavers, murderers, so it was hard to justify saving them. The more he killed though, the less justified he seemed to me… but I couldn't disobey him. I could _never_ disobey him.

"The last mission… he wanted to blow up an entire train filled with Schnee dust, crew and all. Atlas security robots was one thing, but the crew? I just… I finally couldn't stand by, so I cut the front of the train free from it's cargo, saving the crew who were just doing their jobs. And I ran, away from him, just like I always did… only this time it wasn't into a book or into the depths of my mind, but finally just… _away_!

"Now I'm here…"

And here - where she hoped to hide away, forget it all, and run from her past forever - it seemed everyone around her was determined to keep drudging up these memories frequently and often.

Blake found herself pulled up out of her little ball that she'd made, pulled by the Heiress who had taken a firm hold on her collar. Oh, the Heiress was quite angry now, utterly furious, not that Blake really expected her to feel differently.

"You! Do you hear yourself?! You 'couldn't disobey him'; you could have stopped whoever 'he' was any time you wanted!"

No, she couldn't have.

"You could have saved their lives!"

No, she _couldn't_ have.

"But you just stood there and watched him kill them in cold blood! You're just as guilty as he is!"

Yes, she did, and yes, she was.

"Look at me Blake! Say something already!"

"There was nothing I could do," Blake finally looked up, her expressionless, emotionless eyes staring… it was unclear what she was staring at, but it looked as if it were somewhere that wasn't the Heiress' face, somewhere far, far off into the distance, or perhaps into another realm. "He wanted me to be his best assassin, the best in the White Fang. He was training me, but I didn't want to kill… but I could never disobey him, and I was punished for being weak."

Blake laughed, but it was like an echo from an empty room, devoid and hollow of any substance. She didn't register it at first, but Weiss' grip lessened until Blake was sitting back upright in her chair once more.

"He was right, he was always right: with what I am, and what I've done… who could possibly want me? What am I without him?"

Nothing.

* * *

 _ **End Chapter 3**_

* * *

 _AN: Okay, hopefully everyone enjoyed the chapter, even if it wasn't the most cheerful. Also please don't hate on Weiss; I assure you this isn't her just being a… well, one of many things, and it'll make sense as we go along (most everything here will, I hope). I know it's a bit different from the feel of the show, but as the warning at the top suggests I plan to handle this story in a mature fashion. Blake obviously is the most different, but I assure you that it is both for a good reason and also fairly IC given how things started off and have progressed. I might have to write up a full assessment at some point; writing psych-profiles of characters is something I oft enjoy. Anyway, hopefully it won't be almost a month for the next chapter, at least, that's my goal currently… and again I'm still open for betareaders and editors/other review staff, if anyone is interested._

 _ **A.W.R II**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, nor do I profit financially from this work of fanfiction.**_

 **WARNINGS: Rated M for language, violence, mature themes, sexual themes, and shoujo-ai/yuri.**

 _AN: Actually got a review from someone prior to starting this chapter, so congrats to AntonSlavik020 for the accomplishment! Anyway, with any luck things should be moving in a more emotionally positive direction, but in this case it's a bit of having to break things down first before you start to build them up._

 _Credits (aka. Betareaders/Proofreaders/Editors/etc): N/A_

* * *

 _ **RWBY: Cat's Out of the Bag**_

 _ **Chapter 4**_

* * *

Things were a little blurry for a while, a little sluggish and distorted. It felt familiar to the young faunus, though she was aware of far less pain off in the distance. Some voices, some movement, lights, darkness, all for however long it was she was in this safe little realm of hers. How long was that? The faunus didn't know, nor really did she even care. Why would she? It was safe here, things didn't hurt here, it was quiet and far, far away.

She could stay here forever…

Except, in truth, she couldn't. Sadly she never could. Blake found herself slowly opening her eyes, waking from whatever dream had occupied her… perhaps rest was a good word for it? First sight to greet her was a bright, white ceiling, and while Blake had never been in a hospital before this was about what she'd imagined one to look like. Sitting up she was indeed in a medical center judging by the scent of sterility from cleaning supplies and chemical scents of medication abundant, not to mention the pieces of hardware some of which she _had_ seen in faunus 'field hospitals' (they were of course, in far better shape here). One of them was beeping irregularly but rhythmically so, and after a good quarter of a minute of it seemed to bring about the click-clack of heels in the distance, approaching at a steady, consistent pace. The footsteps were distinct; Blake knew who was about to appear at her bedside before the Professor had rounded the corner.

"Hello, Professor Goodwitch," her voice hurt her throat, but it wasn't anything a glass or two of water couldn't fix.

Goodwitch indeed rounded the corner, and while she had a quickly-earned reputation for sternness the expression she'd chosen to wear spoke more of sympathy instead. Oh, this looked to be starting out so _very_ well.

"Miss Bella… Blake, how are you feeling?"

"Fine. Why am I in a… hospital?"

"Medical Ward; you're still here at Beacon, courtesy of Miss Schnee."

"Wait, what did Weiss do?"

"She contacted me immediately after you 'blanked out' as she put it," Goodwitch explained, bringing a hand up to rub her temple, her hands surprisingly devoid of the crop she carried in hand. "She guided me to the library, and then we worked to _discreetly_ get you from there to the medical ward. So far it seems only Ozpin, Miss Schnee, and myself are aware of why you are here beyond the medically necessary information for the staff here. If you need an excuse, you can always offer up-"

"I don't need an excuse," Blake cut in, before glancing rightward, out of a window with a decent view of the spires surrounding Beacon. "Am I free to leave?"

"No and yes: physically you seem fine, but given what Miss Schnee has explained of the situation leading up to this in full-"

Blake grit her teeth; of course the Heiress had to go and tell Professor Goodwitch _everything_.

"-we're insisting on a psychiatric evaluation per protocol before you can be released. Frankly I think one might have been necessary sooner."

"I don't need to talk to a shrink; I'm _fine_ ," Blake really just wanted to drop it; talking about her past was what got her into this situation in the first place. "Huntresses don't usually get interrogated about their past, so what's the point?"

"Huntresses are still young women, with lives and livelihoods outside of their jobs as Huntresses. Or if you require a more 'operational assessment': having any operative, be they soldier or Huntress or what-have-you, who is plagued by serious emotional or psychological problems can pose a risk to high-value or high-threat assignments and their success.

"Or, if you would prefer a more benevolent justification," Goodwitch continued in a calmer tone. "The job of a Huntress is ultimately to help the people of Remnant, but if we can't help ourselves, how can we expect to safely help others? I assure you I can provide countless reasons for why this is necessary."

Blake had a sense this was not a fight she was going to win. She resigned herself with a sigh and lay back down in the bed. Then she had an idea that just might work…

"You said I could talk to you any time I needed to, right?" the faunus asked, propping herself up on her elbows and looking across the room towards the professor. "If I talk to you instead, can you make this evaluation go away? If I have to talk to _someone_ , I would rather it be someone I don't have to explain _everything_ to."

That, and it was likely going to be less 'invasive' to talk to her, and that meant she'd have less issues to deal with. Goodwitch for her part seemed to take the request seriously, then her comm began to ring, and after a minute's appraisal she appeared to sigh in resignation.

"You know where my office is?" Blake had never given anyone a more assuring nod of affirmation. "Very well, I expect to see you _immediately_ after your last class of the day. Understood?"

Another eager nod.

"It goes without saying that you know what will happen if you do not show up at the appropriate time?"

Another, slower nod.

"Good. Now give me five minutes to have a chat with the medical staff, and then you can leave," Goodwitch checked the time on her comm quickly before putting it away. "If you need an 'excuse' as to why you spent the night in here instead of in your dorm, I suggest you spend the time before you leave doing so; it seems some of your friends decided it would be smart to skip the first class of the day to come and check in on you."

Goodwitch's infamous frown and glare returned in that instant.

"This is the _one time_ I will be so lenient on their attendance. Make sure they know that."

And then she was gone, leaving Blake as she had awoken: alone. A deep breath and she finally pulled herself out of the hospital bed, stretching and trying to work out the kinks in her muscles from what clearly was an uncomfortable sleep. Then again, it never was when she was… like that. Blake shook her head to clear her thoughts, ears flitting about a few seconds afterwards, and checked her own comm - low on battery, she'd have to go without it for the day if she was expected to attend class. Five minutes, that's what Goodwitch had said, and so that's as long as she was waiting.

The medical ward was an impressive size, far too bright and white and unnaturally sanitary for her tastes, but at least everything was labeled and directions were clear. It seemed this 'ward' filled an entire tower of Beacon Academy, but then again given the size of the student populace that made perfect sense. Getting to the entrance took some time, though shockingly checking herself out didn't. The faunus wasn't sure if it was because of Goodwitch, because they knew exactly whom she was, or because it was always so quick and easy. Again, no experience in an _actual_ hospital.

Leaving was only complicated by a small, red blur that sped across the room and caught the faunus hard in the stomach, winding her and knocking her flat on her hindquarters. Gasping for breath, the red-caped weight on her had tightly wound itself around her core, squeezing tighter and further making it difficult for her to breathe.

"You're okay!" it squealed - rather, _she_ squealed in the voice of her team leader. "I was so worried; I woke up and you were gone and Yang didn't know where you were and Weiss told us you were _sick_ and in the hospital and they wouldn't let us see you and they wouldn't tell us what was going on and-EEP!"

Finally she could breathe! Bless the blonde brawler, her partner, whom had pulled the red-caped leader from the faunus with but a single arm. Once she'd managed to finally suck air into her lungs and sit up, she found herself offered Yang's other arm, which she accepted and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.

"Sooo, let's try that again," Yang quipped with a grin. "You feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Blake winced a little as she stretched her back out again. "Bit stiff; didn't sleep well."

"What happened?" Ruby this time, still held off the ground by her collar courtesy of big sis. "Weiss just said you were sick."

"Oh, uh, migraine is all it was," Blake managed with a glance to the side, her ears drooping. "I don't usually get them, but when I do they're usually bad enough that I'll pass out sometimes."

"But you're okay, right?" Ruby sounded quieter than usual, more subdued now, and those eyes…

"Yes, I'm fine," Blake gave her a sweet smile. "I basically just slept uncomfortably all night in a hospital bed; they're not even keeping me out of the rest of classes for the day."

A beat, then:

"Oh, and Goodwitch dropped by to see how I was doing," Blake continued. "She wanted me to make sure you knew that this was the 'only leniency' you'll have for missing class."

"Professor Goodwitch is kinda scary…" Ruby mumbled quietly.

"Yeah, but with that riding crop of hers she just _screams_ kinky!"

"Ewewew! Yang I don't want to think about her like thaaat!"

"So you two are sisters? Never would have figured that out…" Blake's tone dripped sarcasm, even as a smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she mentally noted that Yang was certainly _not wrong_ about her assessment of Professor Goodwitch. "Aren't you two late for class?"

"Uh… you mean 'we three'?" Ruby managed before Yang finally released her collar and let her plop to the ground with a soft grunt.

"No, I'm going to be heading back to our room to clean up," Blake tugged at the jacket of the uniform she was wearing for emphasis. "I'm wearing yesterday's clothes, and I feel disgusting from last night."

"Oh."

"Well then I guess that means the two of us get to miss Port's class together!" Yang announced as she seemed to slide over next to Blake, a strong arm wrapping around Blake's shoulders (an action that certainly made the cat-faunus give her a look. "As your partner we should stick together!"

"You just don't want to attend Professor Port's class," Blake countered dryly. "Probably because he's long-winded and seemed like he was flirting-"

"Lalalalalaaa! I can't hear youuu!" Blake got the message as the grip on her shoulder tightened substantially. "Conversation over! Ruby go have fun with Ice Queen and Professor Port and make sure we all get all the notes you copy off of the Princess!"

That also explained the unasked question of 'where was Weiss and why wasn't she there?,' not that Blake was particularly concerned about where she was. Or that was what she kept saying to herself as Yang demonstrated that speed was clearly not Ruby's purview alone, at least not when it came to getting away from an awkward part of a conversation.

Blake found herself dragged by the blonde away from the medical ward and down the empty halls of the school. If Blake had been an actual cat, she might have spent the better part of the trip growling at the one dragging her about, though as it stood she had yet to take a metaphorical (or literal) swipe at the thing that so perturbed her. At least she was free of the brawler's grip once she was dragged bodily into their room, though her flattened ears and hardened gaze told the tale of her displeasure at the recent events to transpire.

"You know, it's the ears that do it really," Yang offered up, reaching up to imitate the faunus' folded flat ears. "Just adds that little extra that makes it work!"

"Please don't drag me through the halls like that again," Blake requested dryly before moving to her dresser and her clothes. "I walk fine on my own."

"Eh, maybe," Blake rolled her eyes, seeing the blonde's grin in her mind's eye even when her own currently perused her clothing.

A few moments in silence… wait, a few moments of silence? Blake paused her search for clothing and glanced over her shoulder, seeing a more contemplative expression on Yang's face. She was putting something together in her head, or perhaps was simply occupied with something of note. The brief week's experience with the blonde had told her that this was usually a sign something was concerning her.

"Yang?"

The blonde blinked and there was the smile once more, brows up out of interest and attentiveness towards her partner.

"Is there something on your mind?"

"Oh, uh, a little?" Yang wasn't exactly subtle as she chuckled nervously, or awkwardness maybe. "Just thinking about stuff."

"Sure…" Blake decided to let it go and focus on getting the rest of her clothes-

"Did Weiss do anything to you last night?"

Well, that explains the thoughtfulness; Blake's head whipped around to face Yang with a raised brow.

"Excuse me?"

"Look, I know I said before that maybe she wasn't like her family's company and all that, but…" Yang shifted uncomfortably then. "After what you told me, well… I mean, you two went to the library late at night alone, Ruby and I wake up today with only Weiss having returned, she says you were in the medical ward, and wouldn't tell us why or how. Then she leaves without another word to go to class and as far as I could pry from the nurses she didn't exactly stick around last night either to see if you were okay. I just- I don't want to _think_ that she would do anything but, you're my partner so…"

Blake blinked a few times, then a gentle smile tugged at her lips. It was… refreshing to see the blonde so concerned for her, but in a more level-headed way. Truth be told, Yang's bursts of anger when fighting were… concerning at times for the faunus, so it was times like these that she was thankful for to remind her that Yang was not a repeat of recent past history.

That said, technically Weiss _had_ done something, without knowing how much it would have bothered her. Honestly her response was not unexpected nor to some extent unreasonable. After all, whom exactly would not be upset to find out that the person they were now tasked to work with was the person whom was in some small way responsible for making your life even more of a living hell than family already could be? How exactly was she to word this to Yang though?

"I don't think Weiss is… as bad as her family," Blake admitted, mostly a true sentiment all things considered. "She's still got lot of issues with me, and faunus in general, but whether for herself or for your sister she's making a good effort to change.

"We did have a heated discussion, which probably didn't help my migraine, but she didn't actually 'do' anything to me," Blake wrapped it up by finally standing up with her clothes in hand. "Thanks for being concerned about me though; it's... refreshing to have a partner caring about you."

"Awww shucks, it's nothing, kitty cat!" Yang was all grin again, the contagious sort of grin the Ruby-Xiao-Long sisters seemed to share. "Just doing what friends and teammates are supposed to do!"

Blake's smile faltered for a moment, but she recovered it quickly.

"Yeah, what partners are _supposed_ to do…" Blake whispered quietly. "I really should get in the shower; I don't think Goodwitch will tolerate us being late to our next classes."

"Need me to help you out and scrub your back?" Yang waggled her eyebrows suggestively, and again Blake found herself rolling her eyes (this seemed to be the start of a familiar pattern between the two of them).

"We're trying to get to our second class of the day on time; it would take you an hour to get your hair in order if you got your hair wet again."

"Yeah, but it'd be worth it!" Yang flipped her long, golden locks about dramatically, before striking a cheesy - yet surprisingly fitting and effective - modeling pose.

"Sure..."

* * *

Her quick shower done and body clothed in a clean uniform, Blake found herself walking and chatting with Yang on their way towards their next class. Thankfully it seemed they were on time if not early to their next class, so no further frustration from Goodwitch… maybe. Also thankfully, Yang was there to keep her mind off recent events with her terrible puns and caring, friendly demeanor. Puns and cat puns aside, Blake had to admit that Yang made for a great partner like she'd first assumed, even if her temper at times was worrisome. Maybe she'd be able to tell her and her sister about her past, of which she certainly wasn't going to just blurt out in front of them and cause a big, uproarious problem like she had with the Schnee. Truth be told Blake still wasn't sure why she had gone and done that in the first place; it wasn't like her to be so impulsive...

Speaking of Yang and her sister: Blake's gaze narrowed as she saw Ruby hanging around the front door to the classroom, door open and peaking through it like she was trying not to be noticed. Trying being the operative word; Ruby couldn't have looked more conspicuous in her opinion, head filling the entire space of the cracked door, red hood hanging down the rest of it from how her body was positioned. It was a particularly 'Ruby' sight, as Yang had described previous oddities about her younger sister.

"Ruby?" Blake and Yang seemed to reach the same curious query at once, overlapping each other and causing the red-caped girl to literally jump and let out a high-pitched squeak that sent shivers down the cat faunus' spine.

"Oh good you're here!" Ruby sounded worried, eyes wide and nervous, voice hushed and hurried. "I think something's wrong with Weiss now!"

Oh no, what was happening now? Seriously, it hadn't even been a full week since she'd been assigned to Team RWBY; why did everything have to be so loud, so nerve-wracking, and so filled with drama?! Sure she was evidently the source of a fair amount of it - though she blamed it on Ozpin and his stipulation for her enrollment into the school to be honest - but that only reinforced her point!

"Wha'd'ya mean, Ruby?" Yang was the first of the two of them to demonstrate concern, as Ruby motioned her sister over to peek into the room with her from outside. "Where is she sitti- WOAH!"

"Shhh! Quiet, Yang!"

"What's wrong with Weiss?" Blake was now a bit concerned; perhaps finally finding out _exactly_ what it was that she had done in the White Fang had somehow driven her to breaking, or something like that. "Is she alright?"

"Well-"

"Blake come on and look!" Ruby urged, waving her up after interrupting her sister. "Come on!"

Blake sighed, joining the sisterly duo in their awkward peeking through the cracked door. Thankfully Ruby was shorter and Yang was on the other side, though she still had to lean over the former as she crouched down to join them. Through the door she could see most of the classroom, including the spots they usually sat at during class. Weiss was a creature of habit, so it wasn't hard to find…

…

"...she is… wearing her hair down?" Blake asked, her tone incredulous. "You're freaking out because she's wearing her hair down?"

"This is Weiss! She spends several minutes getting her ponytail _exactly_ right on the side of her head! Every morning!" Ruby whispered. "She checks it throughout the day to make sure it's perfect! She sticks that little crown thingy-"

"Tiara."

"Yeah, that thing! She wears that too every day and she's _not wearing it either_! It's supposed to be right where her ponytail starts at a 45-degree angle, facing forward, and it's kept as shiny as Crescent Rose' brass!"

"Ruby, why do you know so much about Weiss' grooming habits?"

"...am I being weird again?"

"Yeah, it's a little weird sis. Good try though," Yang cut in, leaving Ruby to pout quietly. "But she has a point; Weiss does everything to perfection, every time, all the time. She doesn't do anything half-way or lazily, so there has to be something up if she's not putting the effort in to put her hair up!"

"But she was wearing her hair up earlier!" Ruby announced, to looks from the others. "She ran off after class and I decided to go get a glass of milk from the fridge and meet her here when I was done and there she was: Weiss without a ponytail! It's _weird_!"

"I _really_ think the two of you are blowing this out of proportion."

"That Ice Queen starts doing something weird the day after you went to the hospital following a verbal head-butting with the Heiress?" Yang's look told her she wasn't being as joking as she was before.

Dammit, Blake hated when Yang was right about stuff like this…

The session bell halted any further contemplation then and there, and the trio nearly stumbled through the door in a bunch to make sure they weren't counted absent or late. Their seats of course put them right next to the Heiress, of which Ruby and Yang both served as a barrier between those clad in white and black. From such a close distance it was all the more obvious that her hair was down, but it was even more obvious that nothing was off beyond that. Weiss had her notebook out, pencil in hand, book nearby and open, and the Heiress was glancing between the two pages she was working with in preparation for the lesson to come. If nobody had noticed her hair being down, the picture would have been just like any other day so far…

Or would have, if Ruby didn't make it glaringly obvious that she was staring at Weiss while sitting right next to her, and if Yang didn't keep shooting glances at Weiss, and snickering at Ruby's awkwardness. Blake for her part chose to act like nothing was wrong, but even she found herself wondering what had prompted this seemingly spurious image change for the girl in white. Couldn't inquire during class however - the Heiress was nothing if not piously studious and grumpy if ruffled - so she'd have to inquire after.

That, and she needed to quickly discuss 'last night' with the Heiress, which was a conversation she was not particularly looking forward to.

* * *

With the attention of their respective partners proving difficult to shake, it'd taken several classes for Blake to find an appropriate time and location for her to engage the Heiress in discussion. Ruby's inquisitiveness towards the Heiress has provided predictable results, including a stern comment or two shared between her and Yang about her tone towards Ruby. Meanwhile, Blake simply stayed quiet, observing the Heiress whom she noted hadn't approached her or said a word to her, barely even registering that she was there. Blake had since come to the conclusion that she _really_ didn't like when Yang was right, because at this point she was 'batting a thousand' at predicting future trouble for the faunus girl.

Lunch was after their fourth class, and Ruby and Yang had shown they were quite eager to make it to the cafeteria as quickly as possible. Weiss was never in such a hurry, so all she had to do was slow her pace and watch as Ruby and Yang hurried on ahead, leaving them alone once more.

"So…" Blake began, noting that Weiss still hadn't turned to look at her. "How are you doing?"

"I'm… well, thank you. How are you doing?" Weiss said simply, far too polite and formal of tone to be sincere.

"Everything is sunshine and rainbows, as usual," Blake responded sarcastically… to no response like she was used to. "Now I know something's wrong with you."

"How would that be?" there was some attitude there this time, which was a step in the right direction ironically enough.

Maybe a little more direct a route was in order:

"Weiss, look at me," Blake grabbed the Heiress' hand and stopped her, finally getting her attention in the form of a stern look. "We need to talk."

"Every time _we_ talk, _you_ seem to break down," Weiss responded bitterly, her grip tightening around Blake's hand. "You'll have to excuse me for not wanting a third round of emotional distress."

"Every time _everyone_ has wanted to talk to me, it's been on their terms, when they're good and ready for it," Blake responded, pointing insistently at the door to one of the currently-empty classrooms. "We're going to talk on _my terms_ this time, so _indulge me_ , Weiss."

The moment of tension between that formed then was positively chilling. Almost literally; it might have been Blake's imagination, but she seemed to feel the air around them drop several degrees. 'Ice Queen' indeed…

"Fine! But we're being quick about this," Weiss extricated her hand from Blake's and heel-turned so hard that her unbound locks of white nearly striking the faunus in the face. "I still have class to prepare for."

Blake didn't even deign to dignify that with a response, following the Heiress into the room and shutting, locking the door behind them. They did not need to be bothered for this, a conversation as important as the others but likely to end far less badly. Blake traced Weiss' path with eyes and ears as she settled herself against the desk at the front of the classroom, arms crossed and expression that of someone expecting all manner of unpleasantness. Well, if the goal was to get the Heiress to act normally, Blake had certainly succeeded in making her a 'normal' shade of pissed off.

"I know I upset you yesterday," Blake began, taking up a resting post against the closed and locked door of the room.

"Whatever could have given you that idea?"

"The screaming in my face mostly."

"That was _sarcasm_."

"And rhetorical, I'm well aware," Blake concluded, much to the grumpiness of the Schnee. "Can we not do this little verbal dance and just talk? Especially after last night I'm _really_ tired of all the drama in my life, and it's only been a _week_."

"That would make two of us then," Weiss agreed, taking a deep breath and letting out a long sigh. "Fine, _yes_ I was quite upset yesterday, and for good reason I think! Can you really blame-"

"No, no I really can't Weiss," Blake sincerely meant that. "After everything I told you… well, part of me is still surprised I'm not in one of Vale's prisons, awaiting transport to Atlas for trial…"

"I… considered that course of action… several times," Weiss admitted, beginning to tap a finger against her upper arm and looking thoughtful. "Yesterday I think I would have gone through with it if you hadn't…"

"Oh…" Blake shrunk as far away as the door she was against would allow, not just because of what Weiss had told her, but because of what she didn't say when she trailed off.

"What was that yesterday?" and there it was, straight from the Heiress.

"I told Yang and Ruby I had a migraine."

"You are _not_ convincing me that that was a migraine!" the Heiress practically growled the words out. "It was like you started fading away! Then all of a sudden 'Blake Belladonna' wasn't there anymore, just this… _empty shell_ that looked like you!"

Blake didn't have a response; that summed up the situation fairly accurately, sadly enough.

"It was absolutely _terrifying_ to see! Even worse to watch after it was clear there was absolutely _nothing_ I could do and believe me I _tried_!" Weiss admitted, the frustration behind her words fading. "Please, _please_ just tell me what happened?"

"I…" Blake started then paused, mouth shutting tight, finally opening up after several long seconds. "You know my semblance, right? Well… imagine that, only it's me leaving my body behind to… protect myself."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"That's the best I have, _Weiss_ ," Blake bit back, ears flattened. "I don't know how it works, just that it _does_ , because when things get hard the only thing I know how to do is run! But sometimes…"

She had to pause, shake her head, and collect herself before she continued at a much softer volume.

"Sometimes there are things that you can't run from, but that you _have_ to. Things that hurt you, more than physically…" Blake trailed off, ears drooping, eyes downcast. "I… I don't want to talk about this anymore…"

It was far too quiet again. If awkward silences were currency, then after this week so far Blake would have been as rich as the Heiress. Blake squeezed her arms a little more tightly, taking a few deep breaths to keep herself calm.

"It scares me," Weiss finally started speaking again, clearly discomforted from what Blake could see. "How well I understand where you're coming from _scares_ me. In the kitchen, when you were screaming at me, then when you broke down, yesterday when you- and _why_ you-"

The Heiress' frustrated growl was followed by her haughtily crossing the room towards Blake, to which Blake wasn't sure what was about to happen. Of the list of things that she had in mind of what _could_ happen, having the shorter girl pull her into a somewhat-awkward embrace was not one of them. It actually took a few seconds to register what was happening, and a few more to respond.

"Weiss-"

"Shut up; no talking."

Okay, so _try_ to respond instead. Blake hesitantly returned the embrace, then a little more comfortably as she actually managed to relax into the other girl's awkward hold. Strange as it was to be hugging the Schnee Heiress, it was also… nice. Her fingers wove their way into Weiss' loose hair, down her back, and suddenly realization hit the cat faunus, eliciting a chuckle from her throat.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," Blake responded, giving Weiss a literal pat on the back. "I'm just honored that Weiss Schnee was so concerned for my mental health she decided to make herself look more 'approachable' and let her hair down."

"Quiet you!"

"Ruby and Yang were worried something was wrong with you."

"Ruby and Yang need to mind their own business; I can do what I want with my hair."

"Speaking of those two, they're waiting on us to join them for lunch. Lunch will be over if we don't go soon."

"Fine, but if it's alright with you, I'm fixing my hair first."

Blake rolled her eyes, smiling as they separated, and the Heiress took a moment to recompose herself.

"Oh, if you tell Ruby I hugged you, you _will_ pay. _Dearly_."

And like that it seemed things were back to… was normal the right word? Blake wasn't terribly sure, but it seemed that finally things had finally begun to stabilize. Maybe now things would begin to calm down, now that she and the Heiress seemed to have something of an understanding going.

Of course, that did little to alleviate the concerns Blake still had about her meeting later that day with Professor Goodwitch...

* * *

 _ **End Chapter 4**_

* * *

 _AN: Took longer than I planned, but hey, things seem to be improving between the two, yeah? Felt like a good spot to stop; we'll see about the meeting next time I suspect. Next time I might also have a beta-reader on board, so things might be a little different too (but in a good way I hope). Anyway, please leave a review as I do love feedback, and hopefully THIS time will be a little faster to update..._

 _ **A.W.R II**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, nor do I profit financially from this work of fanfiction.**_

 **WARNINGS: Rated M for language, violence, mature themes, sexual themes, and shoujo-ai/yuri.**

 _AN: Sooo… there's been a bit of an unintended Hiatus(™), and for that I apologize. I had a LOT of things going on, and then more stuff, and then the introduction of Blake's parents kinda killed my desire to write this since I only like to make 1 or maybe 2 small changes to characters, then extrapolate from there to write my stories. I debated whether or not to rewrite this story to include her parents existing, but decided ultimately against it; best to stick with what's here since I've been getting such good feedback on it. Anyway, here we go with the long-overdue chapter 5..._

 _Credits (aka. Betareaders/Proofreaders/Editors/etc): N/A_

* * *

 _ **RWBY: Cat's Out of the Bag**_

 _ **Chapter 5**_

* * *

"Miss Belladonna," the professor adjusted her glasses as Blake entered into her office quietly. "I was becoming concerned that your tardiness was in fact absenteeism."

"Sorry, Professor," Blake practically mumbled her apology half-heartedly as she shut the door behind her and moved to the desk in the center of the room.

Goodwitch's office was an entirely different being compared to Ozpin's office: the walls were lined with tomes of all shapes and sizes, a visage of clutter somehow organized immaculately into a vision of the utmost order and organization. It resembled the private collection of a library, only the books were in too good of shape to have been opened at all to the public, and the room was otherwise comfortably filled with heavy, stable furniture without so much as a mark upon it. It was, in Blake's opinion, simultaneously both her favorite room in the Academy, and also the one most frightening.

To be fair, she doubted it was the uncanny orderliness of the strict professor's room that was what made it frightening…

"You've been well today?"

"Yes, Professor."

"'Goodwitch' is fine; 'Glynda' would be better," the blonde sat back into her chair, bringing a soft smile to her lips. "This will go more smoothly if we're a little less… formal, once we begin talking."

"Right…"

"Please have a seat," Goodwitch encouraged, and to which Blake responded as asked. "Now, before we begin let me just reiterate that this conversation here is in lieu of a full psychiatric evaluation by the staff following your admittance into the medical wing for reasons other than physical injury or illness. You expressed preference in speaking to me instead of the medical staff, but let me inform you that I have no intentions of 'rubber-stamping' you through this, and so I ask that you please be both honest and cooperative with me, Blake."

Blake nodded slowly, taking a deep breath and trying to settle into the chair. The chair that seemed to be made of the most uncomfortable wood and padding available at this particular moment.

"Well then, let's get started then, just some basics first," Goodwitch adjusted her glasses and a notebook and pencil began to float next to her, scribbling something at the top of the paper that Blake could not see for it was facing away from her. "First and foremost, concerning the state you were found in yesterday by Miss Schnee, is this the first time you've had one of these… let's call them 'episodes'?"

"No," the pencil scratched down something following the response.

"How frequently would you say you experience one of these episodes?"

"I don't know; I never really kept track of them," more scratching of the pencil on paper. "It varies I guess, but this is the first time in a while."

"How long would you say it's been since the last time?"

Silence ensued.

"Blake?"

"The last one was… probably a month before I… 'left'," Blake felt less comfortable being open about her past with Goodwitch; somehow it was easier to be straightforward with the Heiress.

"I see," more penciling. "Miss Schnee explained that prior to the onset of this recent episode the two of you were having a - to use her words - 'heated discussion.'"

"...sure, we can call it that," how properly political of Weiss to call it that.

"She inquired about your actions during your time with the White Fang?"

"Yes."

"You told her everything?"

"Yes."

"She then grabbed you and began yelling at you?"

"...yes." Blake found the ceiling strikingly interesting suddenly, focusing there instead of the keen eyes of the professor.

"And from there?"

"I woke up in the medical ward, and you showed up moments later," Blake concluded.

"I see…" Silence, such uncomfortable silence that sent Blake's ears twitching about. "Was the previous episode brought on by a similar altercation?"

Blake frowned, still focusing on the ceiling instead of Glynda.

"No," A pause. "The one before that was worse, much, _much_ worse."

More penciling, a sound Blake was growing to loathe. Blake noted that Glynda didn't seem inclined to press her for more detail on that, if the extent of her current note-writing was any indication. To distract herself Blake began to memorize the ceiling above, which was immaculately clean but showing age. She'd be willing to bet that much more of Beacon was like that…

"Would you say that _all_ of your past episodes were caused by altercations similar to this?" Glynda finally asked, and with some shuffling and a glance from the ceiling it seemed she'd decided to put the notepad away, for now.

"...more or less," Blake noted the shift in Glynda's body language, and realized she had been a bit too vague. "It's complicated, but there was always a lot of anger, screaming, and… uh… physicality involved."

Glynda nodded in acknowledgement, and muttered something under her breath quietly enough that Blake could only hear something about 'pattern' with her keen hearing. Silence took hold for a time, Glynda seemingly observing Blake, and the faunus attempting to not let the older woman's careful scrutiny get under her skin. It wasn't until the silence was becoming stifling for even Blake that Glynda spoke up again.

"Blake, I can tell you are hesitant to speak to me about this, and considering how uncomfortable this whole situation must be for you, your hesitation is not unreasonable," Glynda stated, moving to adjust her glasses and lean back in her chair. "It remains important for us to continue speaking on this matter, and not just as part of the evaluation I believe. So, how about a deal?"

A deal? Blake frowned, already not liking where this was going.

"As far as your evaluation is concerned, I'm willing to sign off on it and allow you to continue with your education here as normal," Blake could sense the 'but' that was to come… "but that is on the condition that you meet with me twice a week for the foreseeable future for more of these discussions, under the guise of extra, private lessons. And if one of these episodes occurs, you may need to meet once you've recovered."

Blake really wasn't feeling that, and with her ears out it showed.

"Do I have a choice?" she grumbled bitterly as she crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair some more.

"Of course," Glynda responded, her tone suggesting she was sincere. "The alternative is that the evaluation is completed in full tonight, which would require us to go into a lot more detail than you probably wish for it to at this time."

"Rock and a hard place…" Blake sighed and lolled her head back to stare at the ceiling once more. " _Fine_ , at least these 'extra lessons' will keep Weiss from worrying more..."

"Excellent, I'll be sure to add it to your schedule so it's official. Now, for the rest of tonight's meeting—"

"Wait, there's more tonight?"

"Yes, there will be, but we'll speak about other things, things outside of your transcript, our intel, and not directly related to these episodes," Glynda clarified, again adjusting her glasses. "Perhaps about your life prior to the radicalization of the White Fang?"

Blake let out a groan, and suddenly found herself wondering if she could escape the room before Glynda could snag her with her semblance...

* * *

Having never been traditionally educated at an institution, nor having worked a traditional 'job,' Blake never quite understood what all the fuss about 'the weekend' was. After the week she'd had however, Blake now understood _perfectly_ the value of two days where school was NOT in session. For her, that meant two days of sequestering herself in the library while the Rose-Xiao-Long sisters explored Vale, and the Schnee holed herself up to study (for what, Blake didn't know). It was so _very_ necessary, those two days of relative peace and quiet and reading tales of far-off-lands. She wasn't even all that upset by the time the school-week rolled around; the first week of living hell was over, so with any luck it was upwards from here…

...well, except for every second and fourth day of the week; that was when she had her 'private lessons' with Professor Glynda Goodwitch, whom thankfully seemed to have found a pen instead of that gods-awful pencil to scratch away with. Blake was hardly fond of their discussions, namely because she wasn't sure what it was that she was looking for. She asked about her childhood, her friends and adoptive family growing up, her training, her hobbies, life events, the protests and boycotts she participated in, where she'd lived, and with every part of that it was 'how did you feel about it?' or 'how do you feel about it now?' Occasionally she inquired about the 'episodes' she had, but they never spoke on it for long, which she definitely was thankful for. Two weeks, four sessions of this, and Blake felt it was less and less necessary for her to show up, save for the inevitable wrath of Goodwitch if she didn't. To her credit at least: Blake _was_ being honest with her answers, so she wasn't totally resistant.

At least her teammates were not nearly as nosy, but they certainly were far louder. Ruby was… she was very 'Ruby'; the girl was as free-spirited and lackadaisical as she was skilled and dedicated to becoming a Huntress. The girl was certainly doing her best to be the team leader, and was studying with Weiss, but if she could keep from making those ear-splitting screeches that would be a godsend. Yang was proving to be a strange combination of reckless adrenaline-junkie and 'team mom'; the girl was very caring, very helpful, and seemed to care quite a bit about the team's emotional state and was the one most likely to prompt all of them - Blake included - to socialize, within and outside the team. Blake even was starting to learn to tolerate the puns, even the catty ones… oh god now she was doing it.

Weiss… Weiss was making an effort, but it was clearly hard. After their… hug… she was living up to her word about trying to be the best teammate she can be, but her role as Yang's obvious foil regarding their 'fun' was well-cemented early on. She was studious, proper, and very focused, perhaps a bit too much of each at times, but given the laissez faire natures of the Rose-Xiao-Long sisters, it balanced out. Blake noticed she even seemed to be making an effort to talk to her, but never did their previous discussions come up, and frankly Blake didn't want it to come up again; the less they talked about that, the less she had to worry about the mess it could become. Weiss seemed to be accepting her, and she was happy to leave it at that…

"Ah!" Blake yelped as a… a pea? Yes, as a _pea_ bounced off of her forehead, making her blink across the lunch table at none other than her smiling partner.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"Are you serious?"

"Oh you know you love it Blakey!" Yang retorted with a swell of pride. "You really weren't into the conversation huh?"

"My mind was elsewhere; what was everyone talking about?"

"Oh, just Jaune and his dealing with a certain jackass named Cardin and the rest of Team CRDL," Yang explained, thumbing back to a table behind her, where an all-male team seemed to be encroaching on a female Faunus… a sight that made Blake's blood boil. "Apparently he's a real piece of work."

"Seems like it," Blake practically growled her response as she kept watching the team and the rabbit faunus. "Just another bully and a bigot, just like everywhere else."

"'Everywhere' is kind of a stretch isn't it?" Yang inquired offhandedly, with a glance down the table at the rest of their team and Team JNPR. "I mean, I know I'm not a Faunus, but, I mean, there are good people who don't see Faunus any different than humans, right?"

"Oh, of course there is," Blake replied bitterly with a roll of her eyes. "But there either aren't enough to matter, or worse yet: they just stay silent to the mistreatment of my people, and what difference does it make then what they think if they stand for nothing?"

Yang's rebuttal caught in her throat as a cry from across the cafeteria pierced the air, and the cafeteria in full turned in the direction of the table with CRDL and the unknown Faunus girl. What Blake saw had her seeing red, her ears flat to her skull as she saw Cardin - big, brutish, _bully_ Cardin - with his hand firmly gripping the rabbit faunus' ear. Protests of how much it hurt, of how she wanted it to stop filled Blake's ears to the exclusion of all else, and with an audible growl from her lips Blake was on her feet the next instant with violence on her mind.

She was stopped though by someone grabbing her wrist, someone who soon had a very angry Blake glaring down into their light-blue eyes.

"Let go, _Schnee_!" she hissed, pulling hard at the girl's surprisingly firm grip on her.

"Sit down!" Weiss commanded back, returning the harsh glare she was receiving. "Do you realize what sort of trouble you'll get in?!"

"I don't care! That _bastard_ isn't going to get away with this!" Blake growled back, pulling at the Heiress' grip harder, trying to break free. "Now _let go!_ "

"No!" Weiss was on her feet now, staring down the taller faunus, not relenting, not backing down. "You're going to _hurt them_!"

"I'm going to _stop them_!"

" _And how do you think you'll manage that?!_ "

"Uh… guys?"

" _What?!_ " Blake and Weiss both spat out as they turned to face a rather taken aback Ruby, who pointed back towards the table with CRDL… or more specifically at her sister whom was quickly approaching the table and it's occupants.

...oh… right…Yang had a temper… and unrestricted ability to get to them...

"We should—" Ruby didn't have a chance to finish before the echoing cry, then a _crack_ followed by a _thud_ , the sounds of the brawler gripping Cardin's arm so tight he couldn't help but let go of the faunus, followed quickly by the driving haymaker that sent him flying into a wall.

There was a moment where everyone seemed to freeze in the cafeteria, everyone sans Yang herself as she cracked her knuckles loudly. Even Blake was momentarily stunned, confused between surprise, shock, and a sense of enjoyment at seeing the bully get smacked around like that. The moment's hesitation ended with a blink as she noticed that one of the remaining members of CRDL - she wasn't sure which one, but he wasn't a very big guy - took the opportunity with Yang's lowered guard to sneak one on her, catching her across the chin. Despite the solid hit, it didn't seem to faze Yang in the slightest; in fact, it almost looked like she found it _amusing_.

Then the other two members of the boys' team suddenly found themselves able to move once again, and Blake likewise found it a lot easier to snake her arm out of Weiss' grasp, and promptly did so as she charged forth to help 'even the odds' for her teammate. Blake heard a very unsure 'Team RWBY Assemble!' or something to that effect about the time that she leapt completely over a table in her way and flew feet-first into one of the boys, sending him sprawling over the table. Blake may not have been armed, but as Ozpin had insinuated and their brief training had demonstrated, Blake was probably the second-most prepared to face off against a human opponent unarmed, and the one most prepared on Team RWBY had just slugged her way through the boy that had struck her, and launched herself at the remaining one.

Blake took the opportunity to position herself in front of her fellow Faunus, guarding her, and watching as a red blur surged into the growing brawl, though her own flying kick didn't have near the effect Blake's own had. Seeing as Yang seemed to be about to deal with three of them - Cardin had gotten back to his feet and was _pissed_ \- Blake intercepted the team captain, whom proved to have better reflexes than she thought as she nearly caught and elbow to the face. Nearly though; Blake put up a block and kicked out at his knee, then to his chest to send him skidding away. She threw a roundhouse at one of the other two on Yang, was blocked, but that meant he couldn't block the brawler's strike across his jaw that put him against the wall where Cardin had landed before. Leaving Yang one-on-one, Blake turned her focus on Ruby whom was not fairing so well without her scythe, currently lifted up off of her feet by her cloak, but Blake launched herself fast and low, sweeping him off his feet, and with Ruby's reflexes she drove both of her feet into his chest as she landed atop him, winding him. Blake barely had enough time to register that Cardin was back after her, a hammerfist ready to fall upon her hard, but out of nowhere there was a very familiar glyph between herself and the boy, which launched the latter of them away and into one of the other members of his team.

Blake turned back to their table and saw that, yes, it had been Weiss who put up the glyph, and again Blake felt that confusion of surprise and pride that had cropped up prior to the outbreak of the fight. Not for very long, because the next thing she felt was some mysterious force taking hold of her, lifting her up off the ground, and promptly pulling her across the cafeteria. Judging by the screams, the rest of her team - and Team CRDL - had received the same treatment, and soon both teams were floating in the air opposite each other, with none other than the bespectacled second-in-command at Beacon between them, and boy was she angry…

* * *

"It hasn't even been a _month_ and _here we are_ , waiting for Professor Ozpin to _punish us for fighting!_ " The lamentations of the Schnee Heiress had been practically non-stop since they'd been left to wait outside Ozpin's office, as Ozpin had insisted on first dealing with the boys, then meeting with the rabbit faunus immediately after he'd dismissed Team CRDL.

Blake was not terribly upset; with as much as she'd met with Ozpin and/or Goodwitch, this was feeling more par for the course than anything else.

"For the record: totally not sorry," Yang insisted, leaning back with her arms behind her head, seemingly bored.

"Of course you're not, you brute!" Weiss spat venomously at her, finally pausing her pacing in front of the blonde. "Did you even stop to think about how much trouble we are going to get in because of your little stunt?!"

"Yu- _p_ ," Yang responded, popping the 'p' at the end. "Didn't you pin Cardin against the wall or something? Kinda hazy on the det—"

"Nonono! _I_ only got involved to make sure _Blake_ didn't get hurt by that brute!" Weiss pointed a very accusing finger at the brawler. "You picked a lopsided fight against more opponents; did you expect me to sit back and watch?!"

"My hero…" Blake joked, wishing she had a book to read more than anything at the moment.

" _You_ aren't any better right now!" and so Blake provoked the petite girl's wrath. "If I hadn't stopped you, then _you_ were going to pick the fight instead!"

"Better than sitting there and doing _nothing_ while someone was being harassed and abused," Blake's eyes narrowed at the Schnee.

"Oh, and fighting was the _only_ way you could have stopped them?"

"It worked didn't it?"

"And now CRDL probably hates us and Ozpin is going to have to punish us! Do you know what kind of mess I'll have to deal with if my _father_ finds out?!" Weiss' wrath faltered for a moment, and though still irritated, Blake could understand a bit better why the Heiress might be a bit bothered by the situation.

"Would it really be that bad?" Ruby inquired, as she didn't know what Blake knew about the Schnees.

"You have _no_ idea," and again for the briefest of moments, Weiss looked visibly concerned, but was quickly back to her frustrated persona.

"I'm sure it won't be _that_ big a deal," Yang chimed in, shrugging her shoulders. "We're at a school to learn how to fight Grimm; I'm sure this kind of thing happens now and then."

"Yeah! Back at Signal Yang used to get in trouble all the-eep!" Ruby recoiled from the glare from the Heiress again as Yang hung her head and sighed. "Uh… I mean… we should… know better and… do… better?"

"Yes, we _should_ ," Weiss finished, before sighing and resuming her nervous pacing, and it seemed that perhaps Blake would get to enjoy the quiet once more.

Not for very long it would seem, as it was maybe a minute or two before someone familiar and bunny-eared stepped out of the elevator from Ozpin's office. Blake watched as she glanced around quickly, before settling on RWBY, hesitating a moment longer on Blake than the others, and approached them.

"Um… Professor Ozpin wanted me to send you up now. I'm Velvet Scarlatina, by the way," she said, a little shy at first, and Blake wasn't able to place the unusual accent; it wasn't from somewhere she was familiar with. "Also… thank you, for stepping in. I wasn't wanting it to come to violence—"

Weiss' head snapped back and shot Yang - and her briefly - a look, which was met with a shrug from the brawler.

"—but I know you meant well, doing what you did," Velvet paused, taking note of Weiss for a few moments. "You're… a Schnee?"

"Y-Yes. Yes I am," Weiss bristled and stumbled briefly into her composed response, then seemed to force herself to (somewhat) relax. "Weiss Schnee. This is Yang Xiao Long, our leader Ruby Rose, and Blake Belladonna."

Velvet's eyes met Blake's for another several moments, then glanced between her and Weiss, an action that the Heiress apparently noticed too, because she shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny.

"Oh… I'm… a little surprised, not to be rude," Velvet admitted, her tall ears lowering slightly. "I wouldn't have expected humans to step in like that, let alone a member of the Schnee family…"

Weiss shrunk under the comment a bit, but the Xiao-Long-Rose sisters didn't miss a beat.

"Eh, had nothing to do with you being a Faunus; I saw someone who needed help, so I helped," Yang stated with a grin.

"Yeah! And Team RWBY always supports each other, right guys?!" Ruby proclaimed, putting forth her best 'heroic leader pose' as she zipped to the front of the group, though she didn't quite get the group cheer she'd clearly been looking for (except kind of from Yang), visibly deflating the next moment. "You were supposed to all respond…"

It did have the effect of finally bringing a smile to Velvet's face, which in turn brought one to Blake's. It felt good, seeing her smiling once more.

"Well, thank you all again for helping. I should probably get going; Professor Ozpin is waiting for you, and I need to go make sure my team isn't trying to hunt down Team CRDL…" Blake had the suspicion this was a very real concern for Velvet, whom soon was wasting no time in heading off, leaving Team RWBY to their own devices.

"...sooo… who wants to go get yelled at?"

Blake let out a groan; Yang knew just how to get Weiss riled back up again…

* * *

"Oh, you're back! How'd the private lessons go?"

"Long and boring," Blake responded with a sigh as she made her way to her side of the room, removing her tie and blazer in the process. "Yang still in detention?"

"Yeah… she should be back in a bit though…" Ruby responded from her bed, balancing a pencil on one finger, books spread out about her on her hanging frame.

"And Weiss?"

"She went to get coffee,"

"Of course she did…"

The previous day, Ozpin's ruling - factoring in the testimony of Velvet and somehow all of JNPR - was that while they had certainly not done any permanent injury to anything but perhaps CRDL's egos, the use of force had been excessive. However, as the RWB of RWBY had only stepped in _after_ the first punch had been thrown, only Yang was going to receive a formal punishment in the form of several days of detention. Ozpin had even praised the team, and Ruby in particular as leader, for their supportive response in assisting their teammate, and also for their sense of moral responsibility, intervening in the ill treatment of a fellow student whom they did not know. Overall, even Yang didn't feel like they were _really_ being punished for anything they'd done.

Of course, the topic had certainly come up in the 'session' with Goodwitch, which Blake had just wrapped up. More of 'what are your thoughts on it?,' 'If Weiss hadn't stopped you, what would you have done?,' 'How do you feel about Weiss stopping you?,' and all sorts of questions to the same effect. Blake didn't really give any committal answers, nothing concrete, but… now she was thinking about it, and she had been thinking about those things since she'd left Ozpin's office the day before…

What _would_ she have done, had Yang not beaten her to the very literal punch? Would she have hurt them, something she could very easily have done as yesterday had demonstrated? Would she have given them a strong talking-to, and would that have even worked? With her history - which the Heiress obviously knew about - was she wrong to be mad at Weiss for stopping her, if even she didn't know what she was going to do?

Blake's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the Schnee occupying her last thought, several mugs of coffee in hand.

"Oh, you're back," was the initial response she got, reacting with a nod of her head while she gathered her clothes to change in the nearby bathroom. "I thought you might be back. I brought coffee for everyone, including you. I know you prefer tea, but I couldn't find your usual blend in the kitchen."

Blake paused for a few moments, sparing a glance to the Heiress with a raised brow, watching as the white-haired girl shifted under the look, and gave her a somewhat awkward grin in return. Blake hoisted up her change of clothes and faced Weiss proper after a moment or two.

"...thanks. That was nice of you," Blake managed, her tone not much different from her usual, but perhaps a bit quieter. "And… I guess, thanks for yesterday as well…"

Weiss seemed surprised - really, she couldn't blame her; Blake was rather surprised at herself too. This was becoming a routine, opening up to Weiss Schnee - of all people - about things that even Blake was surprised she brought up.

"...you're quite welcome," Weiss finally responded, before shooting a glare at Ruby whom couldn't help but let out a joyous squeal before making it look like she was happy to get her coffee…

...was coffee supposed to be so… sludge-like?

"...how much sugar did you put in Ruby's coffee?"

"You don't want to know,"

"I didn't have any cookies at lunch so I asked for fifteen—"

" _I said she didn't want to know!_ "

"Eep! Sorry!"

"I'm going to go change now before my ears start ringing again…" Blake mumbled dryly, but couldn't help but smirk as she turned and made her way into the bathroom to finally change.

* * *

 _ **End Chapter 5**_

* * *

 _AN: Okay… so it's finally done in like, a week or so once I started working on it again. I'm really never intending to drop my writing, but for some reason it keeps happening. Life is a pain in the ass that way… So, I hope to respond and update sooner next time, and from here I suspect I'll be able to do so, as things will be less 'structured' as there is more opportunities for me to fill 'free time' outside the canon on-screen times…_

 _So, until next time!_

 _ **A.W.R II**_


	7. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, nor do I profit financially from this work of fanfiction.**_

 **WARNINGS: Rated M for language, violence, mature themes, sexual themes, and shoujo-ai/yuri.**

 _AN: Started this a few days after my last chapter posting... also updated the description of my story. Figured it was more straightforward now._

 _Credits (aka. Betareaders/Proofreaders/Editors/etc): N/A_

* * *

 _ **RWBY: Cat's Out of the Bag**_

 _ **Chapter 6**_

* * *

Life was finally becoming more routine, which for Blake Belladonna meant life was becoming delightfully _calm_ , yet interesting. Following a short issue with Jaune and CRDL, where it came to light that Jaune had faked his way into Beacon with false information on his transcripts - not that Blake really had room to judge, considering she tried to enroll as a 'human,' among other things - it had been a couple of weeks of nice, normal, _not terribly exciting or frightening_ classes. That, and plenty of team bonding, and getting to know their nearest neighbors, Team JNPR. Being the quiet, distant, and 'mysterious' member of RWBY - or so she had been informed by the team's most outgoing member that was her partner - Blake naturally fell into the pattern of divulging little about herself, but absorbing everything she could of the people around her.

Ren was the one she knew the least about; he was quiet, like her, perhaps even more-so as his calm was almost surreal. How he ended up friends to Nora, she didn't know, because the girl was loud, _really_ loud, spastic, and outgoing enough for both of them. Of course, they were _totally_ not dating, of course they weren't. Jaune was… Jaune was clearly the Ruby of the team, which was to say kind of awkward, and… okay, maybe not as charming and cute. What Pyrrha saw in him, Blake wasn't sure, but the redhead was something of an enigma, being such a ruthless, efficient warrior with a weapon in her hand, yet being perhaps the kindest, most caring soul without them. She was almost too nice, the poor girl.

One thing she did note was that with the exception of Jaune and Ruby - the more innocent members of the group - and Weiss and Pyrrha - the most 'famous' and publicly-known members of the group - nobody really talked about their life before Beacon much, or if they did, it wasn't in a whole lot of detail. This suited Blake just fine; she had no desire to do any more sharing than she had to.

But then - like some sort of karmic force destined to make her life unbearable - it seemed it was time for something to-

" _SLUMBER PARTY!_ " Ruby shouted, gleefully, which motivated Blake to throw a pillow at her, _hard_. "GUH! Oh, sorry Blake…"

Blake held her glare a few moments longer, but her ears sat up straight as she sighed, leaning back against the wall behind her, legs crossed because her yukata naturally had no bottoms.

"What are you talking about now?" Weiss, from her bed, her hair down and looking all the nicer… Blake really did wish she wore it down more.

" _We_ are going to have a slumber party with Team JNPR!" such a proud declaration from their short leader, surprisingly motivating.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me,"

"It could be fun Weiss," Blake offered, even as she opened up a book to only pay cursory attention to the conversation to come.

"There will be boys there!"

"Pfft, Ren's harmless!"

"And Jaune?"

"Oh right Jaune, uh… he's harmless too?"

"Also where will it be?!"

"I got permission to use one of the common rooms!"

"Wait, you got ' _permission'_?! From _Ozpin_?"

"Uh… actually I got Professor Port to sign off on it…"

"Port?!"

"I told him it was for 'team bonding' and he went off on a long story about something that was REALLY boring but he signed it!"

"You-! I-! _You have got to be kidding me_!"

"Who's kidding who and why wasn't I invited to the party?" Yang was done with her shower, and her hair was dry after _ages_ of a dull roar coming from their bathroom, leaving Blake to hear better as she focused back on her book.

"We're having a slumber party with JNPR!"

"Oh? Sweet! I'll get the sleeping bags!"

"Can we put this to a… oh…" Blake smirked a little bit, knowing that she was going to ask for a vote once more, and as with every other vote they had, she was already in the minority.

" _SLUMBER_ -!" Blake snapped her book shut and glared at the redhead. "Sorry! Slumber party~!"

So that's how they ended up having a slumber party… this was sure to end well…

* * *

"This. Is. _AMAZING_!" Blake could swear that every time she was around her, Nora somehow managed to get louder.

If only they readily sold earplugs sized for feline faunus around here…

Blake had a good view of the room from her spot in the oversized squishable chair - a 'bean bag' or something - that threatened to envelop her. Off in one corner was Jaune and Ruby, occupying themselves with a game (Ruby was winning, from what she could tell), in the middle of the room was Yang and the rest of team JNPR, helping themselves to… pancakes. Apparently they were Nora's favorite food, at least the ones that Ren made anyway. Currently the blonde was trying to get Nora to inhale the largest stack of pancakes she'd ever seen, while Pyrrha was struggling to decide whether to be the voice of reason, or to be supportive of the crazy endeavor. Ren seemed surprisingly tired, even for him, and it did not appear this was the first time such a feat had happened before him.

It amazed Blake just how easily Yang could make friends and socialize, one of those things being something Blake was not as fond of. Judging by the sound of someone plopping into the beanbag beside her, she was not the only one who felt so.

"Got tired of watching Nora inhale pancakes? I hear Yang encouraging her to set a record."

"I fail to see what makes Ren's pancakes different from any other," Weiss grumbled, before being swallowed by the sizable chair and having to flail a bit to get back up in it. "Why is this… _thing_ so big?!"

"No idea," Blake replied, still with her nose buried in the book she'd brought. "I'll be sure to save you if it swallows you whole."

"Oh ha, _ha_! Such a comedian." Blake didn't even need to look to know the Heiress' expression. "So… is this what a slumber party is _supposed_ to be like?"

 _That_ took Blake's attention away from her book, shooting Weiss a glance with a raised brow.

"Do I _really_ look like I'm an expert at these things?"

"You would know better than I," Weiss countered, scanning the room from their position. "Extravagant balls and galas, wine tastings, business dealings during tourneys… anything and everything 'formal' I've been to, and everything about them was to serve some kind of purpose beyond simple 'fun,' to further some sort of end… I'm not sure what you're supposed to _do_ at something so…"

"Low-class?"

" _Normal_ ," Weiss hissed through grit teeth, before sighing and sinking out of view into the beanbag. "I've never done most of the things that _regular_ people do. I never had bunk beds with my sister, never been to a sleepover, never really learned to cook… all the things that I really wish I could have done…"

That made sense; the head of the Schnee family was… _particular_ in his expectations and allowances, at best. Blake knew that much from the various dossiers she was expected to be familiar with, including Weiss'. The dossiers included nothing about the Heiress that she hadn't already been told about over the last month or so, but they had left out just how she had _felt_ about everything in her life. It made her wonder just how much else was absent from the files… or how much it had been doctored, perhaps.

"I spent most of my life living in tents, with dozens of brothers and sisters, and just as many mothers and fathers," Blake admitted, slowly setting her book to the side, dog-earing her current page. "Everything else was spent preparing for rallies and protests, training… didn't really have time for anything 'normal' either when you were constantly preparing to fight for equal treatment, or when you didn't have any money or resources. Books were one of the few things we could come by, especially as so many people just started reading from their scrolls."

Blake scanned the room, wherein Ruby was cheering at her win - and Jaune slouched over in defeat - and it looked like Pyrrha was trying to wrest the plate away from Nora with Ren's assistance, all while Yang was doubled over in laughter. Yes, this too was new for her… but it was a good new, and that was what she was hoping for with her new life here.

"I guess neither of us are particularly normal, are we?" Blake offered rhetorically, and while no words were said in response, the shifting where Weiss' head would be told her that her words were met with agreement.

"Blake!" Blake's ears flicked to the new voice calling for her, guiding her to the blonde that had finally regained her composure - apparently Nora had finally managed to finish off the plate, and looked like she was about comatose, groaning. "Cover your ears!"

"Huh? Oh!" Blake took a moment to register and then immediately slapped her hands over her feline ears as Yang brought her fingers to her mouth and let loose a _loud_ whistle that would have definitely left her ears ringing.

It certainly got everyone else's attention.

"Alrighty! As this is a slumber party, it is time for us to take part in one of the most sacred traditions of slumber parties!" Yang announced, pausing for dramatic effect. "Truth. Or. _Dare!_ "

"Please tell me she's joking," Blake mumbled with a groan.

"Blake, we _both_ know better," Weiss grumbled with her, as she began extracting herself from the beanbag. "Let's just go get this over with. Looks like everyone else is going to out-vote us… _again_."

In a few minutes - after having to nearly roll Nora over to the circle and prop her up - everyone was settled around in a circle, JNPR on one side, RWBY on the other. Blake noted that they'd instinctively sat next to their partners, which made quite a lot of sense to her. That did mean that she was closest to Yang, which made shooting her dirty, dirty looks of disdain and loathing all the easier. Yang either still didn't notice or - most likely - was simply ignoring them while finding some amusement from her actions.

"Alright!" Yang got everyone's attention as she slammed an empty… syrup bottle… down in the middle of the circle. "So here's how we-"

"Woah woah _woah_!" Nora was reanimated once more, and appeared concerned. "I thought we were playing Truth or Dare, not _Spin the Bottle_!"

"Oh we are! But we're going to use the bottle to make it so it's more _fun_!" Yang was grinning, Blake was worried about her definition of 'fun'. "I'll be the first dare-er, so what I'll do is spin the bottle, and whomever it lands on is the person I get to dare!"

"Or ask a truth from?" Blake offered monotonously.

"Nah, those aren't as _fun_ ; who wants to do one of those?" Yang was grinning _wider_ , Blake was now _very_ worried. "I mean, yeah, you get the choice for me asking you a question you gotta answer honestly, if you really want…"

"We are going to keep this… tame, right?" Pyrrha asked carefully, glancing sidelong at Jaune. "It could be a problem if things got too crazy…"

"Oh fine: nothing that would involve permanent damage, or serious risk to life or limb," Yang was rolling her eyes. "Happy?"

"Yeah, let's get this party started already!" Blake nearly cringed at Nora's fierce demand, but at least it seemed that the 'party' was indeed starting as Yang reached out and spun the empty syrup bottle around…

...landing on… Ren, of all people to go first.

"Aha, my first victim!" Yang declared, with an exaggeratedly evil laugh as she rubbed her hands together. "Truth or-"

"Truth."

Well that certainly took the wind out of Yang's sails; she very visibly deflated.

"Really? Fine…" Yang paused, thought, and then grinned wide. "So how long have you and Nora been together?"

"I've known Nora for nearly a decade now," Ren responded, much to Yang's chagrin.

"I meant how long have you two been _together_."

"I answered the question that was asked of me," Blake could swear Ren had the tiniest hint of a smirk, and it actually brought a smirk to Blake's own face - Weiss' too, at a glance.

"You guys know we aren't like, _together_ together, right?" Nora asked, though her nerves were clearly visible as she said so.

Ren had already spun the bottle before the conversation could continue, and the next victim of it's wrath was… Ruby.

"Dare!" she proclaimed before Ren had even managed to ask a question, leaving Ren to think for a moment or two.

"...you must pick someone here to sit in the lap of until it's your turn to pick truth or dare again."

Blake raised a brow, as that could be a racy proposition, but then she remembered that not only was it mostly women there, but this was Ruby they were talking about. She watched as their team leader glanced to Yang… then visibly shifted away from her, and instead scrambled over to…

Oh, this was going to be good.

"You dolt _what are you doing?!_ " Weiss was bright red with embarrassment as the ball of red plopped into her cross-legged lap.

"Sitting with my best friend!"

"I did _not_ agree to this!"

"You don't have to; that's how the game goes, Princess," Yang teased, as Ruby through her hands up in a victorious cry and attempted to better situate herself in Weiss' lap, while the Schnee was fighting her a lot less than her verbal protests suggested she should be. "Ruby, your turn to spin!"

And so Ruby spun the bottle, landing on Pyrrha, whom selected truth and admitted that her 'favorite weapon besides her own' was in fact Magnhild. The next victim was Jaune, who was then dared by Pyrrha to perform three backflips in quick succession (Yang groaned about how 'lame' it was, but it was evident that by the last flip it had taken quite the effort for Jaune to pull that off; he even pulled a muscle, or twenty). Nora was then dared to spend the next five turns hanging from the ceiling ('Like a sloth!' had been her response). And then it was Weiss' turn…

"Oh fine, truth,"

"Ah, you're no fun!" Blake was impressed at how eloquent Nora remained as all the blood continued to rush to her head. "Hmm… Oooh… I know! Tell us what kind of guys you like!"

Oh, that was sure to be an interesting question. Blake caught Jaune paying a _lot_ more attention now, and it was becoming an experience watching Weiss Schnee become more and more uncomfortable outside her element.

"I… what?"

"Tell us what kind of guys-"

"I heard what you said! Why would I disclose something like that?"

"Oh what's wrong Weiss-y? Everyone's got a type!" Yang sure knew how to rile up the Heiress, what with that smirking face of hers. "Tall dark and handsome? Cute and boyish? What warms more than the Ice Queen's heart?"

"That is utterly crude and disgusting Yang!" Blake noted that Ruby had covered her ears by this point and was repeating 'gross gross gross' over and over.

"Answer the question Miss Schnee!" Nora was _really_ red in the face, was she going to be okay?

"Fine! I don't _have_ a 'type'!" Even Blake rolled her eyes at that one.

"That's bull; everyone's got a-"

"I know 'everyone's got a type' but my type doesn't involve boys!"

Weiss slapped her hands over her mouth, wide eyed and quickly going from red to pale, ghostly white. Nearly everyone in the room was shocked - Ren hid it well, and Blake liked to think she did too - and nobody said anything for quite some time. Ruby had shifted to the side to look up at her best friend, concerned, and was the first to break the silence by… hugging Weiss. That was a risky move, but thankfully it paid off as Weiss returned the hug, and hid her face in Ruby's hair. Blake felt a little guilty, but nobody felt that feeling more-so than her own partner, and the sloth-loving redhead hanging from the ceiling.

"I… I'm so sorry Weiss," Yang apologized, echoed agreement by a subdued Nora… whom looked like she was about to pass out. "I wasn't trying to… you know… I shouldn't have been teasing you like that…"

"No you shouldn't have, _Yang_ ," Ruby was surprisingly stern about that, and the glare she gave her was fierce. "You and Nora both."

Nora let out a moan and then plopped onto the ground with a thud, moaning and delirious with all the blood that had rushed to her head. Ren sighed and propped her up, so hopefully it would drain back down faster. Blake glanced around the circle - Jaune looked rather defeated at this revelation - and cleared her throat.

"Sooo… should we pick another game to play?" she suggested quietly, looking back to the Schnee. "Or set some more ground rules? Like 'don't be a jerk'?"

"I think that would be a good idea," Pyrrha agreed, forcing a smile. "This is supposed to be a 'team bonding' exercise, after all."

Mumbled agreements were heard all around, but Weiss still didn't let go of Ruby, or lift her head up. Blake could hear she wasn't sobbing, but she had the suspicion that tears were still flowing. Ruby shifted slightly, freeing an arm, and went ahead and spun the bottle for Weiss…

...oh yes, Karma was in full force today.

"Yang! Truth or Dare!" Ruby asked on behalf of the Heiress, whom managed to peek up a little bit from her 'hiding spot' in Ruby's hair.

"...Dare," Yang managed carefully, though it was evident the hesitation on her face given the recent events.

Weiss lifted her head finally at that time, and her eyes were indeed red, but she'd held her composure quite well. She was glaring though, and after carefully disentangling herself from their mutual leader, she turned around and marched out of the room. Blake was just as confused as everyone else, glancing to Yang and Ruby to get shrugged shoulders in response. After a minute or two, Weiss returned, hand behind her back, and eyes noticeably less red. Blake took note that she hid her previous 'emotional moment' so well it was almost impossible to notice if you weren't looking for it.

"Yang, I dare you…" Weiss pulled her hidden hand out from behind her, and revealed the pair of scissors in her hand. "...to let me cut your hair, as much as I want."

"Oh shit…" Blake couldn't keep the words from under her breath as the whole room turned to a blonde with drained features.

Blake very vividly remembered her careful extraction from the wall the last time someone - that is, herself - cut part of Yang's hair. She likewise remembered when she beat an Ursa to death for something similar - she'd forgotten the event at the time of her own 'incident' with her hair. Cutting Yang's hair did _not_ end well. _Everyone_ knew that.

So it was a little surprising when Yang took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and turned around away from Weiss, before throwing her hair back behind her in a showy fashion. Being next to the brawler, Blake was privy to her clenched fists, grit teeth, and the endless amount of nervous fear rolling off of her like waves…

Were she not the target, Blake was sure Yang would make some quip about 'revenge being a dish best served cold, huh Ice Queen?' or something, and the very fact that that was the first thing to come to mind sorely disappointed Blake at herself. She watched as Weiss came up behind her, as she lifted part of those golden locks, watched as Yang tensed and flinched with anticipation with every brush, every touch, and the room held a collective bated breath as the scissors finally reached up into them, and began cutting. Each cut seemed to visibly hurt Yang, and she was surprised that the girl hadn't broken down into tears already. Each cut was precise, succinct, the sound distinct and as sharp as the blades that were doing the cutting. Oh, it was absolute torment and Weiss _knew_ that was what it was for Yang.

Something about it all was absolutely fascinating for Blake, whom couldn't keep her eyes off of it, particularly off of the very determined, controlled expression on the Heiress of the Schnees. The feeling it brought out in her was… complicated and confusing.

It was not very long that the impromptu haircut persisted, yet to all it felt like a small eternity. After one final, sharp snip of hair, Weiss set the scissors to the side, and Yang let out a breath she clearly didn't realize she'd been holding. Her first instinct was to reach up and feel at her hair, which with some confusion on her face seemed to still be there. As she glanced over her shoulder at Weiss, the Schnee held up a small fistfull of relatively short hairs... not even a fistful really.

"You needed a trim; those rogue hairs were getting out of hand," Weiss stated, smirking - the girl knew _exactly_ what she'd been doing to the blonde the whole terrifying time. "Your hair is very lovely, it makes you look even more… beautiful."

"...are… are you flirting with me?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow, receiving a scoff in return.

"You are very attractive Yang, but you are _hardly_ my 'type,'" she replied, her mouth curling into a smirk at the end.

"Heh, alright, fair… I'm more into redheads who like blondes myself," she replied with a grin, before shooting a wink at Pyrrha, who in turn was blushing brightly.

Blake chuckled at that; Yang was as aware of Pyrrha's little 'crush' as anyone else. Though the faunus wasn't too sure if she was serious about the implication she was into women as well… particularly if she was really into Pyrrha or not.

The ordeal of Yang's dare and Weiss' unplanned coming out finally done, Yang spun the bottle and…

"Is it possible to murder an inanimate object?" Blake grumbled, ears flattened as the end of the syrup bottle pointed right at her.

"Oohoohoo… What shall it be Kitty-Cat? Truth or Dare?" Yang was back to that glinted look in her eye that set off red flags in Blake's mind.

"Yeah… truth."

"You guys really need to learn how to play this game…" Yang grumbled, plopping back with her arms crossed, thinking."...come to think of it… yeah, here's your question: where did you learn how to fight so well?"

That… had not been the sort of question that she had expected to get from her teammate and partner. Blake was nervous again, and from the corner of her eye Weiss was giving her a cautious look.

"Why do you want to know that?"

"Well, we all generally know where we all learned to fight. Ruby and I went to Signal, Pyrrha went to Sanctum, Ren and Nora had private trainers from Sanctum in Mistral, Weiss had private tutors, and Jaune… uh… didn't," Yang explained, being far less taunting with her - of course it was a far less taunting question to be asked. "You haven't really talked much about where you came from I know, but I figured that was a safe enough question to ask here… right?"

Blake audibly groaned, bringing her hands to her face as if to hide herself and her returning headache of this. It'd been literal weeks since this mess had come up, even with her meetings with Goodwitch, and now of ALL times it rears it's ugly head. Great, just _peachy_. She looked to Weiss nervously, who was giving her quite the concerned look in response, and was trying her best to subtly shake her head 'no'. What could go wrong though, telling a roomful of humans that she was part of a group that now sought to kill them, and was a criminal trained in doing just that in a precise, methodical fashion?

Of course, she could lie, glaze over details, omit certain facts, provide more socially acceptable answers that nobody would question, fleshing out details nobody would be able to argue as falsehoods. It was just an innocent question during a little game, and she really was under no compelling obligation to be _actually_ honest about anything she said here. It would be simpler to do, life would be far easier for everyone involved that way…

...but why was it feeling like she was trying _really_ hard to justify lying to her friends about something so serious? Blake groaned again; what the hell was wrong with her that she was really debating her options here?!

"Uh… how about I ask another question?" Yang offered, looking downcast again, clearly figuring she'd made another mistake. "I've got a couple of things I could ask-"

"No, it's fine, I just…" Blake stopped her tongue, took a deep breath, and slowly released it to focus herself. "This… is going to be a very long answer, and I can't promise you will enjoy what you're about to hear…"

And so in clear opposition to any sensible, better judgement she may have, Blake began to weave the tale of her past to the two teams in the room...

* * *

By the time she was finished, a few things had become more clear to Blake: First was that she was clearly losing her mind, considering she had done something so obviously stupid in the first place as tell a roomful of people her essentially criminal background. Next was that this time was a _lot_ easier, considering that unlike her discussions with _just_ the Heiress she was not an emotional wreck by the end of it. Last was that somehow she'd made it to the end without being interrupted or attacked, physically or otherwise, so that was something going for her.

"So… yeah… that's my… life, I guess," Blake wrapped up. "So… any questions?"

Blake didn't really expect anything; she'd been sure to be thorough, with the exception of _him_ of course. Her _very_ personal life was not something she was wanting to bring up with anyone, although something told her that she'd end up talking about it to Goodwitch at some point; the woman had meant what she'd said about their agreement. As she read the room - except for Weiss, whom of course knew all this already - the emotions read from contemplative to concerned, the Rose-Xiao-Long sisters being more on the concerned side of things.

"That's... really a lot to take in Blake," Yang began, rubbing her head next to her. "Explains the 'dark and mysterious' schtick though."

"You mean it, right?" Ruby asked carefully. "That you're not one of them anymore, right?"

"I'm not; I haven't had any contact with them in months. Not since that day on the train," And all for the better, mostly. "I want us to be equal, and I'm willing to fight against the tyrannical forces that exploit and abuse the Faunus to make it happen. But waging a war against all of Humanity is not what will do that."

"Why did you wait so long to tell us?" Yang asked, a little… hurt. "Weiss wasn't surprised at all as you were telling us everything; why did you tell her and not us? Do you not trust us?"

"No, that's not it!" Blake was emphatic about it; it had nothing to do with trust… right? "I didn't… I hadn't planned on telling Weiss either. I still don't know what possessed me to do so, especially the way I did. I had every intention of just not bringing it up, pretending it never existed but… I guess Goodwitch got me thinking about it and, well, Weiss would have been justified in not liking me already…

"I… guess because you two were so accepting… I didn't want to ruin that…" her brow was furrowed in thought, but it was making sense to her, in a way. "I'm sorry, I really am."

Ruby and Yang looked to each other, and Blake turned to look at the former as she slid forward to sit in front of her, looking up at her with surprising warmth in her eyes.

"Do you promise to talk to us if there is something bothering you? If you're worried and stuff?" Blake hesitated a moment, but slowly nodded, bringing a soft smile to her leader's face. "Then I forgive you; we all worry about things, and sometimes we make mistakes."

For the youngest member of the group, Ruby could be surprisingly mature at times. This was one of those times, and it brought a smile to her face, and subsequently widened Ruby's own. Thinking for a moment, Blake tilted her head down, and shifted forward. She could sense Ruby shift backwards, and side to side, confused.

"You wanted to pet my ears, right?" Blake asked rhetorically, knowing that Ruby was the type to not be able to resist such an offer.

Thankfully her squeal of delight was a quiet one - which was really nice as she was mere inches from her sensitive ears - and the initial touches upon her feline features were as gentle as her words had been. A touch, a tap, a soft brush… Blake actually had to move into Ruby's hand so she could pet her ear properly, but she got the picture then and continued the surprisingly enjoyable process.

"So soft…" she sounded amazed, and despite her offering to let her do so, Blake still found it a little embarrassing to let someone who wasn't family…

...well… maybe it was just a matter of her not being used to her _new_ family yet is all…

"You can pet the other one Yang," and it wouldn't be long after that a second hand - more confident and less cautious than the younger sister's - found it's way to her ear.

Blake actually ended up closing her eyes in enjoyment of the petting of her ears; it was… soothing.

"Kitty likes scratches huh?"

"I swear to gods Yang if you- _ooohhh_ …" Yang had found a _delightful_ spot on her ear to scratch at just the wrong time for her complaint to have any weight behind it. "...I hate you…"

"Love you too Kitty-cat!"

After a moment, the hands left her head disappointingly, and as she looked up, she found herself at eye-level with the fourth member of their team, posture straight and all prim and proper with her knees tucked under her. Blake raised an eyebrow in question at her.

"May I also… pet them?" She asked, sounding strangely formal… and why was Nora shaking uncontrollably and desperately biting her lower lip there in the background (this was a little worrying to Blake, but she decided it best to dismiss it).

Blake nodded, lowered her head again, and after a few seconds some more nervous touches came to her ears, but unlike Ruby she didn't need to 'force' her to pet her properly. Her hands were very gentle, and just as relaxing as the other two had been, causing her to lean forward into her more, making her sigh contently. If she could physically purr, then she'd certainly be letting loose those vibrations like the motor in a car at this point…

" _GROUP HUG!"_ Blake's ears folded flat under Weiss' palms before her head snapped up just in time to be pushed forward into the crook of Weiss' neck, two sets of arms wrapping around the monochromatic duo, pushing them together and wrapping them up tight.

"Ruby Rose! Yang Xiao-Long! Let us go this instant!" Weiss was not happy at having the moment interrupted, but figuring all was lost now, Blake decided to twist and shift and bring her own arms up and around Weiss' middle.

Considering their proximity, Blake could _feel_ the heat on Weiss' cheeks just _pouring_ off of her.

"Blake Belladonna, you too?! All of you let go this instant!"

Protests fell on deaf ears. Literally deaf; it seemed that the pressure-cooker of squealing joy that was Nora had finally reached the point of no return, and with perhaps the loudest cry of joy - to the tune of something involving the word 'adorable' - that had ever graced the face of Remnant, the redheaded ball of energy slammed into group-hug RWBY in an effort to join the hug, joined not long after by the rest of JNPR.

Yeah, Blake figured she could get used to her new 'family' after all… if they didn't cause her to go deaf prematurely...

* * *

"I told the rest of my team about my past. Team JNPR as well."

"Oh? How did that go?"

"It went… better than I could have hoped."

"Well, congratulations Blake; that is quite the progress to be making," Goodwitch was smiling at Blake's revelation, and by this point in their series of meetings the sight of Goodwitch smiling was not nearly as surprising or unnerving. "So how exactly did they take it?"

"Ruby was very… mature about everything. It was a little surprising, but I think I see why she's the Team Leader now," Blake chuckled a bit, and brushed part of her hair back. "Yang was a little hurt, worried I didn't trust her… but you can tell she's Ruby's sister, and I think we're stronger as a team after it all. JNPR was very supportive in whole, especially Nora... "

"It does not surprise me that Miss Valkyrie is so supportive," Goodwitch commented, before frowning. "If only she would pay more attention in her classes, and learn what an 'indoor voice' was."

"That makes two of us…"

"Now, how do _you_ feel, now that you've told your Teammates and friends about your life before Beacon?"

"Um… since everything went well, I'm definitely happy, relieved. It… is a bit like a weight being lifted off of my shoulders," Blake admitted, having had some time to think about that very thing, knowing that she was likely to be asked a question to that tune. "It reminds me a little bit of what it was like with my family in the White Fang, but different."

"I must ask: as you were so dead-set against letting more people know about your past for the longest time, what was it that made you change your mind?"

"This might be hard to believe, but I think it was because of a little incident with Weiss," Blake admitted, watching as Goodwitch's eyebrow raised in intrigue and concern. "Not one of _those_ incidents. Weiss admitted something very, uh, personal to her in front of everyone on accident, and… well, everything worked out for her too. I guess I figured that, maybe I was overthinking things."

It had become a lot easier for her to speak to Goodwitch, and for her to relay everything during their meetings. It was strange, to think she was so resistant to this not too long ago, yet here she was, talking about some of the more personal bits of her recent events.

"It seems you are far more comfortable talking about the more sensitive parts of your past now than before," Goodwitch began again, and the shift in her body language was apparent. "Perhaps now you'd be comfortable talking about the parts we've been avoiding in our meetings?"

Blake would be lying to herself if she said she hadn't expected this to pop up at some point. After all, it'd been over a month, and they'd talked about everything and nothing, dancing around her little episode and the issues relating to _him_. It was so obvious after all this time, even as Blake hoped it hadn't been so, that it was just her reading too much into it. But at this point, was she able to keep avoiding it?

She sighed, straightend her back in her chair, and made sure to hold the glass-covered eyes of the older professor.

"Where do you want me to start?"

* * *

 _ **End Chapter 6**_

* * *

 _AN: Aaand far faster than it took me to write the previous chapter huh? Finally got in the mood for writing I think, and I plan to try and keep the momentum up. I do ask that if you can, I would appreciate reviews on this story, as it gives me an idea of how people are enjoying it better than just a favorite and/or a follow._

 _Anyway, until next time!_

 _ **A.W.R II**_


	8. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, nor do I profit financially from this work of fanfiction.**_

 **WARNINGS: Rated M for language, violence, mature themes, sexual themes, and shoujo-ai/yuri.**

 _AN: Started about 5min after my previous chapter was posted. Finished most of it after Season 5 was finished and I watched it. Then was distracted for a couple months… hell of a thing, being an adult with responsibilities, right? I'll just let us get to the chapter now..._

 _Credits (aka. Betareaders/Proofreaders/Editors/etc): N/A_

* * *

 _ **RWBY: Cat's Out of the Bag**_

 _ **Chapter 7**_

* * *

"I'm sorry!"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry! For, you know, all of the, uh… attempts at wooing you."

Blake watched the exchange from a bit further down the hallway, her ears easily able to pick up on the discussion between Jaune and Weiss, the former looking quite apologetic. Seems the weekend's revelation about the Heiress' preferences had gotten him thinking about his previous behavior. Blake had found his persistence annoying, but ultimately more misguided and inconsiderate than willfully ignoring her and being forceful. Maybe now he'd learn from his mistakes, and for Pyrrha's sake maybe he'd find himself interested in redheaded warriors.

"You should be; I told you _multiple_ times that I was not interested in any way. You were absolutely inconsiderate and your persistence was _not_ in any way attractive," seems Weiss shared Blake's thoughts, but was far more vocal about them. "When I told you no the first time, that should have been your clue to _leave me alone_."

"I know, I-I know! I really am really, _really_ sorry for being such an idiot!" Blake may not have been the best at reading people, but someone like Jaune was easy to read, and he did seem genuinely sorry for his past behavior. "Even if you weren't, you know, I was still being an idiot… is there some way I can make it up to you?"

"No," Wow, that was a little blunt, but then again Blake had to remember whom it was that said it. "But if you feel you need to do _something_ anyway: spend more time training with Pyrrha, and work hard to learn from her; the best thing you can do right now is focus on your ability as a huntsman. We need to be able to rely on you, and right now we _can't_. Do you understand?"

"Y… Yes. Yes I do," the boy looked defeated and downtrodden, really did Weiss have to go so far?

"Lift your head up," Weiss' tone had calmed, but Jaune responded snappily all the same. "Perhaps… that came out wrong. Look, you came to this school for a reason, and that reason is to become a huntsman. We all have that shared goal, and we all have to rely on each other as friends and work towards that goal as a team. The best thing you can do for yourself, and for your friends, is to be the best huntsman you can be. Someone made me realize that not that long ago myself."

Blake had heard about Weiss' little chat with Port, and it did bring a small smile to her face to see she was indeed taking it to heart. She was trying too, guess they all were…

"Besides, working with Pyrrha, you might luck out and find a girl who is into you for your dedication without having to… ' _woo_ ' them," Weiss visibly shivered at the word, and Blake found herself impressed at the way Weiss set up the playing field for the red-headed warrioress.

"Maybe, I guess. But you're right. And again, I really am sorry for everything," and that seemed to be it for the conversation, Blake watching as Weiss sighed once Jaune made his way around a corner down another hallway.

"I can only imagine what Yang would say if she had been here to witness this."

"Let's not find out, _ever_ ," Weiss shook her head, then grumbled under her breath. "Being 'nicer' is hard…"

"That's what practice is for; it's the best thing you can do for yourself and your team," Blake was smirking as Weiss shot her a look, mixture of surprise and annoyance as she'd clearly forgotten that her hearing was quite better than she was used to. "We should probably head to class."

"Let's," and off they went, opposite of Jaune's class, just the two of them since the others had different class this time slot.

Blake noticed that with some consistency that most of the classes every team had were as a team, but some of the smaller classes were set up in such a way that they only attended it with one other member of their team. Blake had one with Weiss, Ruby, and Yang individually as a result, and of course she was heading to the one with Weiss as it stood. Something with one of the less memorable professors, as Beacon had quite a number of them to accommodate all of the students. Blake had noticed the other teams had that class arrangement as well, so it looked as if it was the plan across the board.

"You know…" Weiss spoke up as they walked, catching Blake's attention. "...you've been… quiet and withdrawn recently."

Blake raised an eyebrow without a word.

"I mean more than usual," the Heiress huffed, but lowered her voice far softer next. "Did something happen with Goodwitch?"

Right, Weiss knew about the arrangement she had with her. Blake sometimes forgot about that; she wasn't used to so many people being aware of her going-ons.

"It's… complicated, let's put it that way," Blake answered, trying to be very mindful of her wording as she made her way to class. "Short answer is yes. Longer answer is… not something I want to discuss at this time."

"Okay," they took a few steps in silence. "You know you can… talk to me, if you need someone to talk to. Or us; Yang is… surprisingly good at taking care of people. Ruby would certainly be supportive as well."

"I know. I know," Blake wasn't sure if she was saying so to reassure Weiss, or to convince herself it was an option. "It really is complicated, _very_ complicated. It involves… it involves a… a guy I used to… know."

"Oh," a hint of disappointment was noted… oh, wait a second.

"It has nothing to do with you being gay," Blake - thankfully quietly - hurried out, speaking without thinking and drawing a strange expression of temporary panic from the Heiress (considering they were in a public area). "I mean, that's not why I'm not talking to you about, uh, him. It really is really complicated and I'm just… I should shut up before I say something else stupid."

Mentally kicking herself, she was a little surprised when a soft laugh presented itself from the Schnee, and a glance to the side saw a smile on her pale features. It wasn't often that Weiss smiled like that, and much like when she wore her hair down, she seemed far more relaxed and approachable…

The smile was apparently contagious too; Blake couldn't keep her lips from upturning at the edges.

"You sounded like Ruby just then," Blake groaned and rolled her eyes as they turned into their mutual classroom for whatever lesson was to come today.

* * *

"Blake? Weiss?"

The two girls turned around to find a familiar rabbit-eared girl not far from them, having exited their class together and been on their way to their room for a brief break. Considering not-so-recent events, she was hard to forget.

"Velvet?"

Said faunus smiled in response and waived at them, quietly making her way closer. Blake glanced out of the corner of her eye and found Weiss was not nearly as put-off as she was the first time they'd met Velvet after her meeting with Ozpin. That was a good sign.

"Did you just get out of class here? I don't recall seeing you two before on this day of the week."

"We usually leave later," Blake nodded her head towards Weiss. "Weiss usually has to index and reindex her notes before we can leave."

" _I_ simply like to be as organized as possible!" Weiss insisted, crossing her arms defiantly in front of her before relaxing. "Are you here with one of your teammates?"

"Oh, yes, he's speaking to the professor, so I'm waiting for him," Velvet was all smiles. "He'll probably want to thank you for helping me out with Team CRDL; he can be a little protective of me."

"It is simply my nature," Blake looked over to see a… living wall of a man walking towards them… did they make Beacon uniforms that large normally? "And that mess with CRDL only reinforces my nature."

Blake observed as the tall boy glanced between them, lingering a moment longer on Weiss (whom the faunus noted had her neck craned back to look up at him from her short statured position) before bowing slightly.

"You do have my thanks for assisting Velvet while we were not present," he stood back to full height then, nodding slightly as he spoke next. "I am Yatsuhashi Daichi. Velvet's partner."

"It is wonderful to meet you," Weiss responded to the slight bow with one of her own, and the formality of her action came as fluently as one would expect of someone of her social strata and standing. "I'm Weiss Schnee."

"Blake Belladonna," Blake cut in, her ears flicking slightly as she spoke. "And it's really Yang you should thank; she's the one who picked the fight in the first place."

"I intend to thank the rest of your team as well. It is respectable that you would come to the defense of someone not your own," Yatsuhashi focused on Weiss next. "Especially the Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company."

"Yatsu!" Velvet's ears had drooped as she put a hand on the man's bicep to get his attention.

"Why must everyone say that?!" Weiss spoke up, and stepped right up to Yatsuhashi, their height difference being a laughable sight objectively, but that didn't stop the Heiress from looking him right in the eyes with the hardest glare she could muster. "I'm only going to say this once: I am _not_ my father. I am _not_ my father's company, _yet_. Do not presume you know me because you have heard the stories about my family and my company, got it?!"

Something about the firm determination in Weiss' tone was truly impressive, and the fact that she held her ground against the sizable man was more impressive as a result. Something about it was familiar to Blake… she watched as Yatsuhashi's face broke into a grin, and then as he nodded. She also saw that Velvet let out a held breath, having been rather worried. Blake might have been, but the Heiress tended to have a better handle on this sort of thing than Blake did herself.

"Your actions thus far match your words, clearly. I respectfully apologize for my statement before," he glanced to his scroll - it was funny how he had a normal sized scroll, despite his hands being quite larger than it - and then glanced to his partner. "Coco wants to meet with us soon. We should head out now."

"Oh, she does?" Velvet gave the monochromatic pair an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Coco's our leader and she needs us for something. If you'd like, your team can join ours for lunch tomorrow?"

Blake looked to Weiss, whom took a moment to glance to her from Velvet, and gave her a nonchalant shrug that was easily understood as Blake's own acceptance of the invitation.

"Oh, that would be great," Weiss responded a beat to late in her formal tone. "We'll be looking forward to meeting the rest of your team tomorrow."

They parted ways not long after that, and this time it was Blake's turn to ask a curious question:

"You hesitated," okay, so less a question and more a statement, but the question to follow was implicit.

"I did no such thing."

"You were not subtle about it."

"What?! Gah, fine!" Weiss huffed, yet couldn't find her way to meeting Blake's eyes. "...I was… well, let me ask you this: is it considered rude to ask to touch a faunus' more… 'unique' features?"

Blake found herself blinking in response.

"Um… what?"

"Like when you let me touch your ears a few days ago," Weiss clarified, motioning to her own head, mimicking petting ears she did not have. "Is it rude to ask to do that?"

Blake's gears finally began turning in her head once more. She really hadn't been expecting this particular question.

"...you want to pet Velvet's ears?"

"The thought crossed my mind."

"That's a very 'Ruby' thing to want," Blake repressed a smile as the Heiress rolled her eyes.

"Uh, I hope that saying doesn't stay a thing…"

"On that, we agree," Blake's tone turned more serious as she continued. "It's not exactly 'rude' per se, but it largely varies from faunus to faunus. In general letting someone touch your faunus features is an intimate gesture, something that requires trust at the very least, if not more. Ears and tails in particular can be extremely sensitive, so some view touching them as having sexual connotation."

"O-oh," it was impressive how red Weiss' features could get at times. "That was _not_ my intention."

"I didn't think so," Blake replied with a grin. "I doubt she's your 'type'."

"My- why does everyone have a sudden interest in who I'm attracted to?!" she hissed back at her in a complete 180 from before. "It's not _normal_!"

"Of course it isn't…" Blake replied sarcastically…

...then she noticed Weiss' expression was not one expecting a sarcastic response.

"Wait, were you not just joking?"

"Of course I wasn't, Belladonna!" Wow, last name now, the Schnee was serious.

"Alright, relax on the surname, _Schnee_ , and let's head… somewhere not the middle of the hallway if you want to continue this," Blake grumbled back, nodding her head down the hallway and assuming Weiss would follow. "Lunch would be a good idea, Yang should be there to help with this…"

* * *

"Wow you're sheltered."

" _Yang Xiao-Long_ …"

" _Wow_ , that reminds me of Dad!"

Blake was getting a headache again; how was it possible for her teammates and friends to be as frustrating as they were amazing? Ruby seemed to be more focused on her food and… was that a spent shell casing… and a book on Dust? Anyway Ruby was not participating very much in what was more of an awkward conversation for the Heiress:

"You seriously never talked with other girls about crushes and boys and stuff?" Yang asked, somewhat incredulous with a half-grin across her features, her face propped up on her arms against the table.

"No. Or rather, not like _that_ ," Weiss huffed, leaning back, then glancing over at JNPR nearby, focusing on Pyrrha. "I didn't really have friends in the first place, so the girls I talked with were all from Atlas' high society. It was more about gossip and which boys - _always_ boys - would be good to _marry_ in order to secure wealth or power, or further some agenda. Suffice to say I rather despised _all_ of it."

"Sheesh! Way to make being rich sound unappealing!" Yang joked, then leaned a little further forward to the Heiress. "So yeah, as the resident expert on all things involving friends and normal social interaction-"

Blake opened her mouth to protest that, but then took a moment to think: Weiss was a blue-blooded rich girl from a cold and distant high society where she had no real friends and even less free time and freedom, Ruby was a weapons-obsessed socially-awkward nerdy girl two years her junior, and then Blake was… well, the amount of time she spent with her nose buried in her books and her history with a known terrorist organization spoke for itself.

So okay, Yang wasn't far off with that declaration, and thus the black-haired Faunus quietly shut her mouth.

"-I'd say it's _pretty_ normal for girls to talk about the guys and girls that they like, and sometimes they can go into a _lot_ of detail as to why. A _LOT_ of detail," Yang waggled her eyebrows suggestively, and while Blake knew this to be true, did the brawler _have_ to try and make Weiss more awkward here? "I could probably describe the anatomies of half the boys at Signal, if you know-"

"Yes Yang, we 'know what you mean'," Blake interrupted, pinching the bridge of her nose in the process. "To make a point: it doesn't _have_ to be so _explicit_ ; some of the girls I grew up with it was about how they smiled, how strong they were, how dominant they were, how good of leaders they were..."

"Oh! Here's an idea: Weiss, what's your thoughts on Pyrrha?" Yang pointed in the direction of the red-haired warrior, as Weiss managed to try and match her hair and lash out to keep Yang from pointing at her.

" _Keep your voice down and quit pointing you buffoon!_ I get what you're trying to do but _why her_?!"

"You have been staring at her a bit, kind of like you were staring at Velvet earlier." Blake grit her teeth after the words left her mouth, immediately regretting bringing up Velvet.

"Ohohooo! Is Weiss Schnee interested in _two_ lovely ladies?"

"I am _not_!" Weiss bit back, but the blush on her face didn't help her situation. "I just had something on my mind about both of them, nothing more!"

Blake knew about Velvet, now she was curious what the Heiress had been thinking about regarding Pyrrha…

"Well, what _do_ you think of them then?" Yang acted as if to wave off the look she was getting from Weiss. "Come on, you can talk to me! I'm into girls too-"

Ah, well that answers a question Blake had had previously about Yang and the comment she made about 'redheads interested in blonds'...

"-so I'll share who I'm into too, alright?"

Weiss didn't say anything immediately, but after several seconds of contemplation, it appeared Yang had won this particular test of wills.

"Fine, but if word gets back to _either_ of them-"

"Secret's safe with me! I'll be quieter than Blake about it!" Blake caught her with a (mostly) soft jab to the arm, and received a soft chuckle from the blond in return.

"...okay… so… Pyrrha…" Weiss seemed to struggle to find words, shifting back and forth slightly. "...she is… very attractive-"

"Hell yeah she is!" Blake rolled her eyes at the flirtatious growl accompanying Yang's comment.

"-she's nice… _too_ nice… she needs to stand up for herself more, not just others," Weiss mused with a slight frown. "It's amazing how much more aggressive and dominant she is in a fight…"

"Yeah… plus _pretty_ sure she's straight," Yang said with a grin. "She really just needs to go right up to Jaune and give him a big ol' kiss right on the lips! Guys like him need a more direct approach."

"Speaking from experience?" Blake mused aloud, only somewhat sarcastic.

"You know it!" Yang added a knowing wink to her response to Blake. "I like my guys more physically built, but guys like Jaune are cute in their own way.

"But we're talking about ladies right now, so how how does our maiden with the snowy hair feel about our rabbit-y friend? Does she make you _hoppy_?"

"That pun _hurt_ …" Weiss groaned, and Blake agreed. "...Velvet is… also very attractive… but more… cute? Yes, cute."

"Yeah… I can see it. So quiet, and those ears make her more adorable," Yang sighed melodramatically for effect - it HAD to be just for effect. "Something tells me she's too quiet for you."

"Not too quiet, but she needs to stand up for herself more too," Weiss' brow furrowed in some frustration. "Pyrrha as a new student could probably wipe the floor with CRDL, and Velvet is a full year ahead of us in training; she shouldn't be letting people like Cardin push her around."

Blake agreed on that note, but it was a little surprising to hear Weiss argue that a Faunus shouldn't be letting bigoted humans push her around. Had this been even three months prior, Blake would think she'd hallucinated the whole statement from the Heiress.

"Sooo… you like girls with some backbone huh? Whaaat about Nora!" Yang pointed towards the red-headed hammer-wielder, whom was currently in the middle of what HAD to be a very spirited retelling of some dream or something. "She's plenty spunky!"

"Even _Ruby_ could see she's into Ren," Weiss stated, which provoked an 'eep' sort of sound from the younger girl next to her.

"Sorry! I wasn't listening, what are we talking about?" Ruby inquired sheepishly, quietly shutting her book and tucking the spent cartridge into her pocket.

"Talking about pretty girls, sis!"

"...nope," Ruby kept her sheepish smile on her face as she stood up suddenly, picking up her book and her tray quickly. "Nopenopenopenopenope!"

And like that, four became three… and JNPR became five as Ruby surprised them with a visit.

"...um… does it bother her-"

"Nah! Ruby just hasn't grown up that way yet; she finds 'all that romance-stuff' embarrassing to talk about," Yang explained to them, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not complaining; just means less suitors to threaten! Anyway, yeah, Nora's totally into Ren, even if they aren't 'together-together'."

"That and she's _way_ too loud. I don't know how Ren isn't deaf from being around her so long," Weiss mused again. "I appreciate the quiet, I _like_ the quiet, I can _think_ in the quiet."

"So you like quiet, but you like someone who can be assertive too, eh?" Yang thought for a bit, tapping at her chin. "What about Coco?"

"...you mean Velvet's team leader?" Weiss inquired. "Wait, you know her?"

"Yeah! Seen her heading to lunch one day with some red-haired guy. Think his name was Fox or something," Yang explained. "Short brown hair, wears shades, has this whole fashionista thing going on. Pretty sure she comes from money too; she _loves_ to shop apparently, and not the cheap stuff."

"Sounds rich to me," Blake mused aloud, focusing now on her lunch since she couldn't really add to the 'talking about pretty girls' talk… but she still kept an ear to the conversation.

"Sounds like someone who might do it for our petite Heiress, eh?" Yang put forth quite the goofy grin and a double-thumbs-up with the most expectant look at Weiss.

"I couldn't say for sure; I'd want to get to know her first," Weiss responded, then she had a look of realization cross her features. "Oh, that reminds me: I spoke with Velvet earlier, and we've been invited to join CFVY for lunch tomorrow."

"Sweet! Don't change the subject!" Yang stuck her thumb out, back at herself. "What about me?"

"You really aren't my type. At all," Blake smirked at Weiss' bluntness.

"Ouch, you wound me fair maiden!" Melodramatic as usual.

"Before you ask: I'm not into Ruby either," Weiss stated, with a wave of her hand. "Even if she weren't two years younger than me."

"Wasn't going to ask about Ruby, but good to know," Blake could feel Yang's gaze upon her, and it caused her to tense up for a moment. "What about-OW!"

Thankfully it was just a moment; Yang recoiled from the kick to her calf beneath the table, shot a glare up to Blake, then followed Blake's flick of a the eyes to Weiss. Weiss for her part - at least, it would seem so to Blake - was very tense at the question all of them knew was next, and from Yang's blinking, hesitant response, she noticed it too now.

"Uh… how about some of the other girls in Velvet's year? I've seen a couple of them wandering around that are pretty hot, let's see if I can find any in here…" Blake sighed as Yang moved past the obvious question, and right on to something else she couldn't contribute to…

...was it just her, or had Weiss' reaction been a bit too notable?

...Blake was sure that her curiosity was going to kill her one day at this rate…

...she also realized she needed to spend less time around Yang; her brain was starting to make terrible cat jokes again.

* * *

"Owww… why must Pyrrha be so evil?"

Blake sighed as she continued to help Ruby haul Yang through the halls of Beacon to their dorm, the eldest of the group (not by much mind you) hindered by her inability to put weight on her left leg. That afternoon had been combat sparring with the familiar Professor Goodwitch, and the matchup for the day had essentially been RWBY vs JNPR, as far as the two teams were concerned. Ruby - even taking things a little easy for him - had essentially demolished Jaune in only a couple of seconds. The boy could not fight well at all. Weiss had been paired with Nora, and despite nearly being one-shot by a blow to the head following accidental use of yellow dust against her (thus activating her strength-enhancing semblance), Weiss had won thanks to her glyphs. Blake had naturally been paired up with Ren, and for the large part it was a fairly even match, with the exception of endurance which is where Blake was able to pull off a victory. That just left Yang to face off against Pyrrha…

It. Was. _Amazing_! Blake thought the fight absolutely fascinating, for despite how evenly matched it was it played out to be so one-sided. Yang couldn't land a punch, but could parry so well… until she caught a surprise knee to the leg when they were locked in close, and then a cut-kick, and then another, and from there it was the spear or shield for the rest of the match. Even with Yang's beefy semblance she still fell too low before she could land a single hit, and when all was said and done - and the adrenaline had worn off - Yang's thigh had suffered so many impacts that she couldn't put pressure on her leg. Pyrrha of course was so very, VERY sorry about it, but Yang dismissed it since it was part of the match.

Didn't stop Yang from whining about her leg though. All the way from the class to their dorm room. So Blake was more than happy to just drop her right inside the door to their room, eliciting an 'eep' from Ruby as she too let go, though Yang decided to hop her way across the room on one leg instead of fall, until she fell into her bed face-down, unmoving. Blake sighed as Ruby apparently decided to go take a shower, and the Heiress decided to do as Yang had done… and about as gracefully.

"Weiss, turn over," Blake requested, kneeling down next to the Heiress' bed, and watching as she turned over and glanced over to her…

...huh, that explained that.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"Weiss, you're not going to sleep for a while," Blake answered, and then continued before Weiss could belt out a frustrated inquiry. "You're concussed; one of your eyes is the size of a pin, and the other one looks like it _might_ be trying to focus on me."

"Just wonderful…" the Schnee grumbled as she forced herself to sit up, her head hanging. "My head hurts and I'm _tired_."

"Yeah, concussions will do that. Nora sure knows how to use that hammer," Blake commented offhandedly, her ears flicking towards Yang as she started to hear a consistent, familiar sound. "Yang's out cold I think."

"Lucky her."

Silence. Weiss wasn't talkative, and frankly Blake was hardly the talkative sort any day of the week. As the only other person in the room, Blake couldn't leave lest Weiss decide to ignore her advice and all common sense and try and go to sleep anyway. So, she hopped up onto her own bed across from her, and fished a book out from under her pillow. She cracked it open… and noticed Weiss hadn't moved in a bit.

"Weiss?"

" _What_?" Sheesh, attitude much?

"Just making sure you're not asleep sitting up."

"I'm not; I've dealt with concussions before."

"Okay."

And that was that, it was time to start her book. She found herself reading the one about a man with two souls again; it spoke to her in some way that only it could.

"Blake?"

"Hmm?" Weiss suddenly felt like talking, AND had dropped that brief attitude before? "Are things getting worse?"

"Huh? No, no. Things are a little fuzzy though, so to remind myself: impulse control and altered emotional state are symptoms of concussions, right?"

"...yes," Blake quietly shut her book and sat back up to look down at the Heiress again. "What are you feeling-"

"You're totally my 'type'," the smaller girl practically spat out, and of the things Blake expected Weiss to answer with, that was pretty low on the list. "I don't think I would have said anything if Yang asked earlier, but right now it seems like a pretty good thing to mention."

"Uuuhhh…" How was she supposed to reply to that?

"You're quiet, smart, confident, and you're _gorgeous_ ," Weiss just continued on unhindered and unabashed. "I know it might be a little racist, but all of the catlike things you do are adorable; the way you slink when you move, your love of tuna, your eyes, your ears… they were so soft and I want to pet them more."

Oookay… wait, did Blake really 'slink'? No, focus; Weiss was getting really rambly and saying things she might end up regretting.

"Weiss, you should probably-"

"No! I need to finish this!" Weiss' attitude resurfaced with a vengeance that actually caught Blake off guard. "I don't expect you to find me attractive or anything; you told me used to have a boyfriend, and me being a Schnee and you having been one of the White Fang I don't think anything could ever happen, but that doesn't stop me from finding you attractive still."

Blake waited a few seconds, until it was clear that Weiss was done with her benevolent diatribe. However, she found she really didn't know what to say.

"I… don't know what to say," Well, guess that worked to just be honest. "Thank… you? Maybe? Uh…"

Weiss shot up from her bed and belted it to the door of their room, opening and making to slam it behind her quickly… but stopped at the last moment.

"...I'm going to infirmary. I think I need some medicine." she announced to the room - to Blake - before quietly shutting the door behind her.

...well, that was a thing. Blake put her book aside as she let out a groan, throwing her hands over her eyes as her fingers gripped at her forehead; that had been one of the most awkward, strange situations that she had been in in her life, and she was _pretty_ sure she hadn't said the right thing there at the end. Damn it all…

* * *

 _ **End Chapter 7**_

* * *

 _AN: So, after starting up my new fic_ _ **RWBY: Kittens**_ _, it seems I finally got a renewed interest in finishing up this chapter! Hooray one and all! I'll try again (I swear I seem to promise this every time I have a new chapter come out…) to not let it be too long before I post, and thankfully my work schedule seems to be supporting my having a couple hours of writing time a day to work on things. Sooo… yeah, guess I'll wrap things up here for now, please leave a review (I love feedback, more than just favorites and follows), of which I do have Guest Reviews turned on, and here's til next time!_

 _ **A.W.R II**_


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